The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

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Anna Vanderspek

Drive Green Program Director

Massachusetts Action Alert: Stand Up for Clean Trucks(Again!)

Recently, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced the delay of two key regulations that will clean up dangerous air pollution from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Though the delays are not full rollbacks, they come after heavy industry lobbying, and it’s crucial to defend these important standards at public hearings on Monday, December 9, or in writing by 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 19, 2024. 

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Want An Electric Vehicle? Get It Now!

There’s a lot of speculation in the news right now regarding the incoming Trump administration’s plans for key energy and climate policies. Nobody can predict exactly what will happen when, but one thing is clear: if you are considering purchasing or leasing a new or used electric vehicle (EV) in the next couple of months, do it before the end of the year if you can.

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Looking Back on QARI Drives Green

Way back in July 2022, we published a blog announcing QARI Drives Green, our two-year partnership with Quincy Asian Resources, Inc, better known as QARI. Our partnership was funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center through its Accelerating Clean Transportation For All (ACT4All) program. Now, nearly two years later, that particular grant has run its course, so it’s time to celebrate what we’ve achieved and look to what’s next!

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New EPA Vehicle Standards & What They Mean for Massachusetts & Rhode Island

Recently, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final vehicle emissions regulations for vehicle model years 2027 through 2032. You’ve likely seen lots of headlines about this. As the New York Times put it, “in terms of lowering the emissions that are heating the planet, this regulation does more than any other climate rule issued by the federal government and more than any measure planned in the remainder of Mr. Biden’s first term." In this blog, we’ll cover what these regulations are, why they’re so important, and how they interact with electric vehicle (EV) policies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

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New Rules for Federal Electric Vehicle Tax Credit

Back in December, we wrote about how the rules for what electric vehicles (EVs) qualify for the federal tax credit were going to change in 2024. Those changes did kick in January 2024, but so did new rules about how to claim the federal tax credit that we hadn’t expected. This blog will go over which vehicles qualify and how to claim the credit. The main kicker: you must purchase from a dealership that has registered with the IRS, whether you claim the credit when you purchase the vehicle or when you file your taxes.

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Massachusetts Residents: Take Action For Smart Charging Rates for Electric Cars

If you drive an electric car, it matters when you plug in and charge – both in terms of the emissions caused by the generation of each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity you consume and in terms of the costs you are imposing on the system as a whole. There are lots of tools at our utilities’ disposal to encourage electric vehicle (EV) owners to charge when both emissions and costs are low, but unfortunately, in Massachusetts, our utilities are behind. Now, we have an opportunity to advocate for a smart charging policy, called a “time-of-use rate,” before the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) at a virtual public hearing at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, December 13. Here’s how to take action.

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Electric Cars & Costs to the Grid

As more and more people switch from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs), we hear a lot of questions along the lines of “can the grid handle it?” Sometimes that question is about supply and emissions (i.e. will we have enough clean energy resources to supply all the kilowatt-hours of electricity those EVs will need?), sometimes it’s about reliability (can the infrastructure handle it?), and sometimes it’s about costs. We've written before about how we have time and tools to prepare for this transition. This blog specifically addresses the question of the grid costs of increased EV adoption.

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Demand Charge Alternatives for EV Charging in Massachusetts

Back in January, we wrote aboutthe approval by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) of $400 million for electric vehicle (EV) charging in Massachusetts. Since then, both National Grid and Eversource have rolled out new incentives for both infrastructure upgrades and charging hardware. (Our incentives pagedetails the incentives available to residential consumers; see this pagefor commercial incentives).In addition to approving these programs to address the upfront costs of installing charging, the DPU approved a new program through 2032 to address ongoing costs for commercial entities (including municipalities): specifically, demand charges.

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Massachusetts Electric Car Charging Council Issues Report

Last month, we published a blog encouraging residents of Massachusetts to send in comments to the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council (EVICC) as it was preparing its initial assessment for the Legislature. Dozens of you responded and sent in your thoughts on the state of electric vehicle (EV) charging in Massachusetts – thank you! Now, EVICC has published its Initial Assessment. Here’s what’s in that report and what's next.

Picture of Anna Vanderspek Anna Vanderspek