By Michael Coughlin Jr.
On Monday, the Gove Street Neighborhood Association (GSNA) held its monthly meeting, at which attendees discussed electric vehicles (EVs) and the city’s plans to bring some charging stations to the neighborhood.
As part of the discussion, Judith Gibson-Okunieff, the program manager for the city’s EV charging program, gave a presentation about EVs, charging stations, and other related topics throughout the city and in East Boston.
As of this past July, the city has more than 7,600 registered EVs and over 4,000 plug-in hybrids, while the state as a whole has in excess of 120,000 EVs or plug-in hybrids.
In the same time frame, East Boston has 2,861 registered EVs — though it should be mentioned that Gibson-Okunieff called the number “funky” because it may take into account a rental fleet.
However, she pointed out that there is insufficient access to public charging stations since the neighborhood only has one municipal lot with two charging stations and four charging ports.
In the spirit of increasing access, eight level II charging ports are slated to come to the neighborhood this upcoming summer. Four ports will be on Saratoga Street at Border Street and another four at 175 Orleans Street.
As for why the city is trying to increase accessibility to charging stations, Gibson-Okunieff noted that the state is slated to ban the sale of new gas cars in 2035. “This is likely going to happen, and we’re going to have a lot more EVs on the road very, very soon, so we need to have the infrastructure in place to be able to accommodate this.”
She indicated that the city’s goal is for every resident to be within a five-minute walk of a publicly accessible EV charging station by 2030.
Moreover, as part of this EV charging project, the city is focusing on on-street parking. Gibson-Okunieff said this was because the city’s municipal lots cannot meet demand.
The curbside EV charging program is slated for up to 30 locations throughout the city, with four charging ports at each location. Most of these locations are in the design and engineering phase, and one site in Charlestown has been completed.
As for who is installing the charging stations, Gibson-Okunieff said it will be Better Together Brain Trust, and the stations will be “the highest-powered level II stations on the market.” Additionally, the stations will be owned and operated by the city.
It should also be noted that the city is working with private partners like Itselectric and Greenspot to install charging stations around the city.
In addition to providing general information about the program and the specific locations ports are slated to come in East Boston, Gibson-Okunieff spoke about a suggested location survey that has been ongoing for the last year and a half and noted there is a lot of demand.
For example, some of the suggested locations in the neighborhood include areas around 310 Marginal Street, 345 Chelsea Street, 156 Porter Street, East Boston Memorial Park, and 144 Marginal Street. However, it should be noted that Gibson-Okunieff indicated the city could not install anything in the park because any profit made would have to go back to the park—something that would be complicated for pricing.
Gibson-Okunieff also highlighted some feedback from residents, which pointed to a lack of accessibility to charging stations in the airport and their prices, questions about enforcement, and more.
After Gibson-Okunieff wrapped up her presentation, the floor was open to attendees with questions and comments.
One attendee wanted to know if the charging stations in the neighborhood would be limited to residents with stickers, and Gibson-Okunieff mentioned that parking regulations would be maintained at the locations where these charging stations will be installed.
Another resident thought that if a station was brought to the suggested location at 156 Porter Street, it should be moved further west to make it more convenient for the neighborhood.
There was also a question regarding whether traffic, congestion, and limited parking in the areas were considered when choosing the location for the charging stations.
In response, Gibson-Okunieff said, “We are aware that parking is a tough situation in East Boston, and we’re open to any feedback in areas where parking is going to be a major issue.”
The same attendee who raised this question thought putting stations at the suggested Marginal and Porter Street locations would be challenging.
Several other residents chimed in as the meeting progressed and offered suggestions before the discussion ended.
For more information about the GSNA, visit its website at https://www.govestreet.org/home or its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/govestreet. The GSNA will not meet in December and will convene again on January 27.