As buildings and transportation make up nearly 99% of Boston's carbon emissions, Boston's commitment to ensuring every household is within a five-minute walk of a public EV charging station is part of its wider Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become completely carbon neutral by 2050.
"I am proud to see Boston take this important step toward a sustainable and equitable future," said Boston city councilor Enrique Pepén. "Expanding access to electric vehicle charging, especially for those without private driveways, is key to reducing our carbon footprint and advancing our climate goals. This public-private partnership with itselectric demonstrates the forward-thinking, community-centered approach that will help us achieve a carbon-neutral Boston by 2050 and provide more ecological opportunities to residents. Roslindale is just the start, and I look forward to seeing more neighborhoods like Mattapan and Hyde Park welcome public residential charging stations."
Boston says it is leading the way among American cities by being the first to install curbside EV chargers with a behind the meter connection and a detachable cable. itselectric's solution is designed to help Boston meet their carbon reduction targets and eliminate their capital expenditures by completely avoiding the utility infrastructure connections and upgrades normally needed to support public charging. The partners say this new era of EV charging, with hundreds more chargers planned across the year, is poised to transform how drivers who park on the street can overcome the barrier of at-home charging.
"For too long, EV ownership has been limited to people who have a private driveway or garage," said itselectric's director of public affairs, Shannon Dulaney. "This is a crucial equity issue for the 70 million drivers across the United States who park on the street, and who need access to convenient and affordable public charging to make the switch to EVs. Forward-thinking cities like Boston are leading the way to deploy curbside charging for their residents, and we're thrilled to be partnering with them on this exciting initiative."
Boston has established a public-private partnership with itselectric and its low footprint Level 2 chargers. itselectric says its chargers are readymade for cities thanks to two key design foundations: detachable cables and a behind the meter connection.
Detachable cables, which are already widely adopted across the EU and the UK, are provided by itselectric to each driver so no cables are in the public right of way (sidewalks) when a car is not charging, making the chargers perfectly designed for Boston's historic streets. The behind the meter connection gives property owners an opportunity to earn revenue by receiving a percentage of the fees paid for charging by drivers but also bypasses the utility, adding no added stress to the electrical grid and allowing for a much faster installation.
Residential and commercial property owners in Boston have a unique opportunity to become property partners by rethinking their curbs and applying immediately for a curbside charger at no cost to themselves or the city. itselectric manages the installation and maintains the chargers creating a community centered approach that provides properties throughout Boston with: added revenue, tenant retention, boosted property values, and charging at their door.
