Boston’s ambitious plan to reduce vehicle carbon emissions by ensuring every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of an electric vehicle charger by 2040 has been accelerated. City officials now aim to achieve this goal by 2030, with hopes that all households will be within a five-minute walk of an EV charger.
Transportation accounts for about a third of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions, with single occupancy cars contributing to over 60% of these emissions. To combat this, the city is working to make electric vehicle charging stations more accessible and widespread.
Currently, over 80% of electric vehicle charging is done at home, which poses a challenge for renters or property owners without driveway parking. Boston has over 1,000 Level 2 chargers and 50 DC fast chargers, but the majority of these are on private property. The city is now expanding charging stations in public parking lots and partnering with private companies to install curbside chargers.
The city has installed nearly 70 Level 2 ports in public lots and plans to add more across different neighborhoods. To make charging stations more accessible, the city is partnering with private companies to install over 200 curbside charging stations at no cost. Additionally, the city is adding 72 publicly-owned curbside chargers at 18 locations.
While Boston has made significant progress in expanding its electric vehicle charging infrastructure, there is still work to be done to ensure all neighborhoods have convenient access. The city’s efforts to improve transit options are also seen as vital in reducing emissions, given that only 20% of vehicle emissions in the city are from trips within city limits. Regional cooperation and continued investment in charging infrastructure will be key in achieving these goals.
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