The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has announced the Neighborhood Curbside Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Pilot, in partnership with it’s electric. The program is funded through a federal grant awarded to the company and is intended to support data collection and inform future regulatory updates for curbside EV charging within the District’s public right-of-way.
The Washington, DC pilot program is designed to evaluate how curbside EV charging infrastructure can be integrated into dense urban streetscapes while maintaining safety, accessibility, and compatibility with existing curb uses.
Findings from the program are expected to inform technical guidelines and permitting requirements for private vendors seeking to install, operate, and maintain curbside charging stations on public streets.
According to DDOT, the program will generate operational and usage data related to curbside charger placement, utilization, accessibility impacts, and ongoing maintenance requirements. This information is intended to support future policy and engineering decisions related to expanding curbside charging access, particularly for residents without off-street parking.
“These pilot deployments allow DDOT to evaluate how curbside EV charging can be integrated into the public right-of-way while maintaining safety, accessibility, and multimodal street functionality,” said DDOT director, Sharon Kershbaum.
As part of the pilot, it’s electric will install, operate, and maintain sixteen single-port Level 2 curbside chargers across eight locations in the District, with one site in each Ward. Each installation serves two adjacent on-street parking spaces. All proposed locations were reviewed by DDOT to assess pedestrian safety, accessibility, curb management considerations, and compatibility with surrounding transportation infrastructure.
The chargers require drivers to supply their own charging cable. District residents may request a cable through it’s electric’s mobile application, with delivery typically occurring within one to three business days.
Advisory Neighborhood Commissions participated in the site-selection process, and Ward Councilmember offices, along with residents on blocks where chargers are installed, are notified regarding deployment timelines and cable-request procedures.
The Neighborhood Curbside EV Charging Station Pilot is part of the District’s broader effort to expand access to publicly available EV charging infrastructure and to better understand the technical and operational considerations associated with curbside deployment. Progress and findings from the pilot will be published on DDOT’s sustainability pilot projects page.
Filed Under: Charging, Technology News