Regional Climate Office begins plan to deploy Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The North Suffolk Office of Resilience & Sustainability (NSORS), in partnership with the City of Chelsea, City of Revere and Town of Winthrop, has obtained a $100,000 grant to develop a regional plan for electric vehicle charging station infrastructure. Funded through the state Community Compact Cabinet Energy Efficiency & Regionalization Program, the project will result in an actionable deployment plan for charging stations and related electrical infrastructure, as well as a pricing model that is fair and equitable. Weston & Sampson have been selected as the lead consultant to conduct the scope of work through a competitive procurement process.

“Galvanizing an equitable transition to clean energy that benefits Chelsea residents requires making public transportation and electric vehicles affordable, reliable, and convenient for residents,” said Alex Train, Director of Housing & Community Development. “We’re grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Chelsea City Council, and our partners in Revere and Winthrop for the opportunity to create a model system that works for residents.” 

“One important aspect of this project is to understand how the network could be more equitable, potentially charging a lower rate for vehicles owned by low- and moderate-income residents in the region, and a different rate for vehicles that are coming from outside of the community,” said Ibrahim López-Hernández, Sustainability Manager. “This could become a revenue source for the region to fund continued operations, maintenance, and expansion of the system.”

Electric vehicles are an important part of the region’s strategy to reduce emissions through the electrification of infrastructure. In total, transportation by passenger vehicles accounts for approximately 28% of total emissions in the North Suffolk region (Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop), representing some 185,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent released into the atmosphere. The project will evaluate the current state of EV charging stations, develop plans for new locations for charging infrastructure, and put forth recommendations regarding pricing and operations. Collectively, the ultimate goal is to stimulate a larger publicly accessible network that residents can reliably use.

The North Suffolk EV Charging Plan project held its kickoff meeting this April, and the team expects the plan to be completed by early 2024. In parallel, the Office is pursuing state and federal grant funding to continue the installation of charging stations.