We are thrilled to announce a new program, Community Charge, that offers public and non-profit entities a simpler, cost-efficient way to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for use by their constituents or the general public. 

The Program 

Over the years, we’ve heard from many entities, particularly municipalities and nonprofits, that they’d like to install EV charging but simply don’t have the capacity for the administrative work of setting prices, tracking usage, maintaining the stations, and making repairs as needed. In addition, many potentially excellent sites were worried about the upfront costs of installing charging stations or the time it would take to wade through the various incentives. Community Charge is designed to address both of these barriers. 

A joint program of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, PowerOptions (a nonprofit energy procurement expert for public and nonprofit entities), and LISC Massachusetts (a nonprofit expert in affordable housing and community development), Community Charge offers two procurement pathways for public and nonprofit entities. For both options, Community Charge has competitively selected and vetted reputable vendors and pre-negotiated pricing. 

Vendor Owned (Charging-as-a-Service): Charging stations are installed, owned, operated, and maintained by a third-party vendor. There are no upfront costs to the site, and the vendor shares profits. 

Host Owned: The site host installs, owns, operates, and maintains the chargers. Through Community Charge, site hosts have the option of procuring hardware, software, and installation a-la-carte, or via a turnkey solution provider. 

The program is particularly focused on increasing access to EV charging in environmental justice communities or at sites – particularly affordable housing developments – that serve low- and moderate-income residents. 

Green Energy Consumers’ primary role in the program is to build and implement community outreach and education campaigns with entities that move forward with installations – think workshops, pizza parties, EV showcases, or even ride-and-drives.

Get Started

If you work for or are affiliated with a public or nonprofit entity, visit info.greenenergyconsumers.org/communitycharge to get started. There, you can: 

• Learn more about the program,
• Access our Procurement Guide,
• Watch the recording of our most recent webinar or sign up for an upcoming one,
• Read through FAQs 

Ready to go? Simply email CommunityCharge@PowerOptions.org to schedule a half-hour initial consultation. 

We can’t wait to get started on Community Charge and bring access to charging – and therefore access to the driver and community benefits of EVs – to more communities across the Commonwealth.