Transportation

Boston could see up to 250 public EV charging stations installed in next 2 years

The project would involve partnerships with two private companies and come at no cost for the city, officials said at Tuesday's Boston City Council meeting.

PATRICK T. FALLON

By Emily Spatz

2 minutes to read

Boston is planning to install hundreds of public electric vehicle charging stations in the next several years in a project that, through partnering with private companies, would be free of cost for the city.

At a ways and means committee hearing Tuesday, city councilors and representatives from the Boston Transportation Department discussed the city’s plans to partner with two private companies to install up to 250 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the next two years. 

The proposal is part of  the city’s Recharge Boston program, which aims for every household to be within a 10 minute walk of a public EV charging station to encourage the use of zero-emission vehicles. 

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“It’s forecast to be 56 degrees today in Boston and it’s February,” said councilor Brian Worrell, who is chair of the ways and means committee, on Tuesday. “There’s no denying climate change is here — and while we needed to cut emissions decades ago, it’s a pressing issue now.”

There are currently approximately 1,000 level 2 and 50 level 3 EV charging ports accessible to the public in Boston, but they are mainly located on private property in downtown areas, Worrell said.

Though the companies the city is planning to partner with were not disclosed at Tuesday’s meeting, sources told The Boston Globe that officials are working out contracts with the companies Itselectric and Greenspot. The contracts are not yet finalized, but if approved, are expected to last for 10 years. 

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The city received 18 applications from companies interested in partnering with the city on the project, Matt Warfield, who oversees the Recharge Boston initiative, said at the meeting. Though most applicants relied on advertising to reduce the costs of operation, the two companies the city went with have other strategies for cost minimization. 

One company will install small, compact chargers that will require users to bring their own charging cord and work with private property owners to use their power source. The other company will also rely on revenue-sharing with building owners. 

“Keep in mind that these are demonstration projects and we have a wonderful ability to scale up through these contracts,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city’s Green New Deal Director.

Warfield said that, though the contracts would last 10 years, the city will approach them as 5 year commitments and possibly extend them depending on the plan’s success.

The locations of the charging stations have not been identified, but will be decided based on feedback from the community, Warfield said. 

Sellers-Garcia said the city is hoping to have some charging stations in place by the end of 2024, but that installation will “accelerate” in 2025. 

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Councilor Sharon Durkan, who represents District 8, said she was excited about the project as her constituents have been asking for more EV charging stations. 

“The people I’ve heard from the most about lack of access are those from historic neighborhoods,” Durkan said at the meeting. “I’m really excited about the opportunity.”

During public comment, two property owners spoke about their enthusiasm for the project. 

“This is not just an economic issue, it’s not just an environmental issue,” said Michael Lake, a resident of the Fenway neighborhood and CEO of Leading Cities. “This is an accessibility issue for residents, and by bringing these charging stations — particularly to lower income and underserved communities — I think is a real opportunity for folks.”

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