A new report urges Massachusetts cities to prepare for the rise of the electric car.
Electric car ownership is surging in Massachusetts – up 37 percent last year – with about 130,000 electric cars on the road. But, the infrastructure to charge all those vehicles and accommodate the rapid sales pace of electric vehicles is not keeping up.
Ben Hellerstein, State Director of Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center, stood outside Springfield City Hall Tuesday to highlight a new study: Plugging In: Readying America’s Cities for the Arrival of Electric Vehicles.
" Our message today is clear: electric vehicles have a critical role to play in moving us to a future powered by 100 percent clean renewable energy. And the sooner we can plan ahead for the transition to electric vehicles the sooner we will see the benefits to our health and environment," said Hellerstein. " That is why cities like Springfield should plug into the electric vehicle revolution."
Prepared along with MassPIRG and the Frontier Group, the report discusses policies cities can pursue to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in residential areas, at workplaces, and in public parking places.
The study projects that by 2030 there will be 7,000 electric vehicles registered in the city of Springfield where the report said there are currently six public charging stations.
Hellerstein urged Springfield to look into installing more charging stations in municipally-owned parking structures, provide incentives for businesses to put in charging stations, and adopt policies that would allow homeowners without garages to put charging stations along residential streets.
" The bottom line is the sooner cities like Springfield can wrap their heads around the steps it will take for all residents to switch to electric vehicles, the sooner we will see the benefits to our health and our climate," Hellerstein said.
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission issued an electric vehicle charging station plan for the region last December. Catherine Ratte, principal planner for environment and land use at the PVPC, said the report calls for each municipality to host at least one charging station and for businesses, where customers stay at least an hour, to install a charging station.
" This is a great opportunity for businesses to bring in customers who are tech savvy, forward thinking and who care about the environment and their communities," Ratte said.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has an incentive program that offers to cover half the cost to install an EV charging station at workplaces with 15 or more employees.
" So it is an amazing opportunity right now to take action," said Ratte.
Darcy DuMont, a member of Climate Action Now, said she has been driving an electric car for five years and it has become increasingly difficult to find a place to plug-in.
" The problem right now is there may be charging stations that exist, but if I come to Springfield by 9:30 in the morning they would all be filled because of the number of EV's out there now," said DuMont. "When I drive to Boston I know I won't get a space after 9 a.m. and that has been the case for at least a year now."
DuMont, who uses an app called PlugShare to locate charging stations that are compatible with the electric vehicle she drives, said she has never been stranded without power in her car, despite the shortage of public places to plug-in.
