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New electric vehicle chargers are pictured Sept. 23, 2024 at select parking spots by the secure Mount Vernon Street archway at the State House.
State officials have been pushing Massachusetts residents to shift to electric vehicles, and soon, at least a few pols will be able to charge up their own EVs at the State House.
The Bureau of the State House has begun installing EV chargers in the secure parking area by the Mount Vernon Street archway, which is reserved for certain officials and staff. Two chargers were visible at the parking spots on Monday.
According to a bureau spokesperson, the project will result in a total of four charging units capable of charging up to eight vehicles. The chargers are not yet powered up while installation work continues.
The state will pay $61,206 for its part of the project, while other costs associated with design and installation will be covered by a program through Eversource, the bureau said.
Administrators of the state's McCormack Building across the street already installed EV chargers in their parking garage, and Rep. Jeffrey Roy is among those who have taken advantage.
Roy, who co-chairs the Legislature's utilities and energy committee, said he has been pushing for the state to add more EV chargers at the McCormack and the State House and is "thrilled that they're moving forward."
He said the "biggest drawback" discouraging people from switching from gas-powered to electric vehicles is a lack of charging capacity, which inspired him to start a blog on the subject -- RangeAnxieties.com.
"And I've had discussions with both DCAMM and the State House folks about [how] the state ought to be a real leader in this space and show people that charging infrastructure is available," he told the News Service.
The Franklin Democrat said: "We want 900,000 EVs on the road by 2030? Then these are the steps we need to take to see that happen."
More than 73,000 electric vehicles are registered in Massachusetts, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Along with vehicle prices and gas savings, drivers considering the switch to electric vehicles must consider whether they have access to a charging station where they live or work, or if they are willing to pay for that infrastructure to be installed.
Roy drives a Ford Mustang Mach-E, the same car that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has.
The EV parking spaces by the State House archway are next to the area where troopers park Gov. Maura Healey's car. Healey's office did not respond to a News Service inquiry on Monday about whether anyone from the administration planned on using the chargers.
When Healey took office in January 2023, she spoke in her inaugural address about electrifying the state's vehicle fleet, though she kept a gas-powered Ford Expedition as her gubernatorial automobile.
Healey's office did not respond Monday to a question about whether the governor had switched cars or was still riding in the Expedition. A 2024 Expedition gets an estimated 17/23 miles per gallon of gasoline, according to Ford's website.
--State House News Service
