Free parking ends Jan. 1 for electric vehicles in Las Vegas

Electric vehicle owners will have to pay to park at street meters and city-owned garages just like everyone else starting Jan. 1.

State lawmakers in 2011 required cities to waive parking fees for vehicles powered by alternative fuels, but the little-used perk expires at the end of 2017, Las Vegas city spokesman Jace Radke said.

Qualified drivers had to pay $10 for a decal affixed to the vehicles. About 500 permits were issued in Las Vegas over the life of the law, with 131 decals currently in use, Radke said.

Even though free parking is no longer available, electric vehicles still can power up for no cost at city-owned charging stations. Radke said a pair of new city-owned garages each will have about 50 charging ports that will provide free power to electric vehicles.

There were 3,006 electric vehicles registered in Nevada as of Nov. 30, a fraction of the 2.48 million total cars, trucks, motorcycles, moped and other vehicles registered statewide as of that date, according to figures provided Monday by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

At the state level, work is underway on the first stretch of the Nevada Electric Highway, which aims to build charging stations between Las Vegas and Reno along U.S. Highway 95.

In June, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed Senate Bill 145, to establish the Solar Energy Systems Incentive Program as a way to encourage the installation of energy storage systems. It also creates a state policy to expand and accelerate the use of electric vehicles and infrastructure throughout the state.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.