In 2025, Charge Ahead Partnership is supporting Virginia House Bill 2087. This legislation will encourage private investment in Virginia’s electric vehicle (EV) charging market by addressing barriers keeping businesses out of the market. Currently, Virginia law allows electric utilities to build EV charging stations with no limitations to account for unfair competition with privately owned stations, dissuading private entities from investing. HB 2087 provides more certainty to private investors considering getting into this business by directing the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to determine appropriate buffer areas between eligible privately owned fast-charging stations and stations owned by electric utilities. Any privately-owned charging stations built or in the permitting process before the SCC’s final order will be protected from unfair competition from utility-owned charging stations in their vicinity. Additionally, this bill will facilitate a more effective buildout of Virginia’s EV charging network by directing the Commonwealth’s electric utilities to establish rates specifically for public fast charging and encouraging increased investment by utilities in make-ready infrastructure. These provisions will make it easier for private entities to install charging stations. This bill is currently in the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and is expected to move quickly.
Key Provisions of Virginia HB 2087:
Directs the Virginia SCC to determine the appropriate distance between privately-owned and utility-owned fast-charging stations.
Requires electric utilities to file rate specific to public fast charging stations.
Promotes an efficient build out by encouraging utility investment in make-ready infrastructure to support EV charging stations.
In the 2024 Virginia General Assembly Session CAP monitored House Bill 118 which would have helped to place commonsense restrictions on utility ownership of EV charging stations in the Old Dominion. A bill with several EV charging provisions, HB 118 included language which would have established a right of first refusal (ROFR) process for utility owned chargers. This process would have limited utility ownership of EV charging stations to certain areas of higher need, ensured that new utility stations would not undercut existing privately-owned ones and allowed private entities to provide EV charging services to areas before utilities could do so with ratepayer funds. This legislation received support from several environmental groups but unfortunately did not advance beyond the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
