Just last weekend, as I was making my weekly trip into rural Massachusetts to visit a friend, I noticed an electric car next to me on the desolate stretch of highway. My pulse quickened, I became nervous, and beads of sweat formed on my brow. All from just wondering, imagining, worrying about where, exactly, this poor environmentally conscious individual planned to power up. Being one of those people that never let’s her highly efficient vehicle’s gas levels get below a quarter full, the idea of requiring an electric charging station may have led to my slight overreaction.
The reality, though, is that Massachusetts has a little over 230 EV charging stations; most highly organized around urban areas in Boston and Worcester. Unfortunately (and perhaps due to perceived difficulties in long distance travel), even these stations are under-used. And Massachusetts is not alone.
In an effort to encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont have formed a coalition with the goal of meeting 3.3 million electric vehicles sold by 2025. Not surprisingly, most of the coalition’s focus is centered upon EV charging stations – creating maps of available stations, uniformed signage, and standardized payment options. Additionally, there is talk of altering building codes so that workplaces, multi-family residences, parking garages, etc. are required to install charging stations.
Other plans to support the purchase of zero-emission vehicles include use of the HOV lane, preferential parking, reduced tolls, “off-peak” pricing, and use of electric vehicles for municipal fleets.
Current sales of electric vehicles hover around 45,000 per year. Maybe in the near future, with the help of this coalition, the sight of electric vehicles on the road won’t make me break out in hives.
Leave a Reply