OPINION: LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Last week, I received a “parked overtime” ticket while charging my electric truck at the downtown chargers near Sean Patrick’s. I’m not contesting the ticket; I exceeded the posted two-hour limit, and I’ll pay it. But the citation raises a bigger issue that our city should address: the twohour limit itself doesn’t reflect the realities of electric vehicle charging, and it makes it unnecessarily difficult for residents without home chargers to use EVs responsibly.
The charger downtown is a standard Level 2 unit delivering under 6.6 kilowatts. My truck’s battery is about 98 kilowatthours, with a range of roughly 230 miles. That means a two-hour session adds around 30 miles of range — barely enough for more than running a few errands, and certainly not enough for my normal commute to Austin. A meaningful recharge takes more like nine to twelve hours.
This is the first core problem: a two-hour limit is not a charging policy. It’s a top-off policy. Overnight charging — necessary for many EV owners, especially renters — is impossible under this rule.
And renters are at the center of this issue. I live in an apartment. My complex, like many in San Marcos, does not allow installation of chargers. I don’t have a garage or a driveway. Public charging is not a convenience for me — it’s my only fuel source.
Today, there are only two truly practical Level 2 public chargers in town: the downtown units and the chargers at the public library. The library chargers have been out of service for at least a week, leaving the downtown chargers as the only workable option within walking distance for apartment residents like myself.
Meanwhile, we have dozens of gasoline stations in San Marcos, and only a handful of public EV chargers. Many of those chargers — like the fast-charging stations at the outlet malls — are miles away on I-35 and are not accessible for residents needing overnight or walkable charging. When you step back, it’s obvious: we have built a city where gasoline vehicles enjoy abundant infrastructure, while EV adoption remains constrained by lack of access.
Worse still, the twohour limit is not solving the problem it appears designed to solve. I have never been blocked by another EV using those downtown chargers. The real issue is gasoline vehicles parking in EV-only spaces without charging. I have watched it happen repeatedly — and I have yet to see one ticketed. The city is enforcing the rule against EV drivers who are actually charging, while internal combustion vehicles occupy the same spaces with no consequence.
If our goal is to encourage proper charging etiquette and fair use, we are aiming at the wrong target.
There is a smarter path. Many U.S. cities are revising their charging policies to reflect real charging times while still ensuring turnover:
• Allowing overnight charging during nonbusiness hours • Enforcing EV-only parking strictly
• Adding chargers near multifamily housing
• Repairing existing units promptly Public charging can also bring economic value. Cities often partner with charging networks in ways that generate modest lease revenue or deliver indirect economic benefits, such as increased foot traffic to downtown businesses. We should explore how EV revenue and incentives supports infrastructure expansion.
All of this aligns with broader sustainability goals. EVs produce far fewer emissions and conserve far more energy per mile than internal combustion engines. As Texas continues to face extreme heat, drought, and worsening air quality, the choice to encourage cleaner transportation is not symbolic — it’s practical.
San Marcos can lead on climate resilience and sensible planning. But that requires acknowledging the basic math of EV charging and the lived reality of renters in our community.
The city should reevaluate the two-hour limit, enforce EV-only parking consistently, and expand accessible public charging options — especially in walkable areas where residents live, not just on our highways.
That’s how we support EV adoption. That’s how we support renters. And that’s how we plan for a cleaner, more sustainable future for San Marcos.
Chase Norris San Marcos
