I’d like to respond to Don Anderson’s letter regarding fees for using the EV charging stations at River Forest Village Hall [Why bother if this is your EV policy? Viewpoints, March 6]. I sit on the River Forest Sustainability Commission, so I know firsthand the thinking behind the fees.
The fee is not meant to discourage EVs but rather to encourage their use by providing public charging stations. Charging a fee after a couple of hours encourages individuals using the charging stations to move their vehicles after a reasonable amount of time so that others may use the chargers. Currently we only have two public EV charging stations. Given that, they can’t replace the need for a charger at home, but rather provide the convenience of “topping up” a charge for your car.
River Forest is not unique in this. Other villages have similar programs for their public charging stations. This is not dissimilar to offering an hour of free parking in a public garage and then charging for every hour after that.
As for the members of the Sustainability Commission owning EVs? I can personally attest that they do, having been given a ride home after our monthly meeting by more than one commissioner with an EV.
Louise Mezzatesta
River Forest