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

One Day, Two Kids, 600+ Miles: From Massachusetts to Virginia in an Electric Car

When we talk about electric cars at Green Energy Consumers, we often get questions about road trips. How do you drive hundreds of miles with a battery electric vehicle? How do you plan where to charge? Does it take forever? That's why we love featuring real stories from real people about their experience driving electric. Here's a guest blog from our friend Nicole about her family's trip from Massachusetts to Virginia in a fully-electric car. (This blog refers to the different types of charging and plugs. If you need a refresher, check out our charging basics page!)

Guest Blogpost: Mass Fleet Advisor

Note: At Green Energy Consumers, we know that we need to rapidly electrify all forms of transportation – especially including medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which disproportionately contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and localized air pollution. We're excited to post this guest blogpost from Jenny Kritzler at CALSTART and Kristen Patneaude from PowerOptions, who are working with MassCEC to offer Mass Fleet Advisor. If you have a private or nonprofit fleet that you'd like to electrify, read on!

The New Federal Tax Credit for EVs

What Candidates for RI Governor Think about Phasing Out Gasoline

Last week, the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI) hosted a forum for candidates running RI Governor to discuss their plans for the environment if elected. The forum covered several of Rhode Island’s most pressing environmental issues, including environmental justice and implementation of the Act On Climate. But one question stood out.

Moderator Ed Fitzpatrick of the Boston Globe asked: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, should Rhode Island set an end date for the last sales of new gasoline-powered automobiles like some other states?

Introducing QARI Drives Green - 绿色驾驶

In the nearly seven years since we launched Drive Green, Green Energy Consumers has interacted with tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents through a combination of in-person events and online offerings. We have helped nearly 1,000 drivers get an electric vehicle (EV). We’re proud of that work, since we know we need to rapidly electrify transportation to fight climate change and better public health.

We Like the Massachusetts Climate Bill. The Governor Must Sign It.

On Thursday, the Massachusetts House and Senate both passed a major new climate bill, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. The legislation now goes to Governor Baker for signature. The bill is basically what we expected: a combination of the House’s emphasis on offshore wind, the Senate’s emphasis on electric transportation, and some new policies in other areas. Overall, we are very pleased with the 96-page bill. Here are our views on some of the key provisions – and what you can do to get this over the finish line. 

A murky future for RI's electric vehicle programs

Rhode Island is in good shape to reduce emissions from the power sector after a successful 2022 legislation session. But it’s slow-going on policy to support vehicle electrification, which is an absolute necessity to displace gasoline use and meet 2030 climate goals.

Transportation in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Climate Plan

This blog covers strategies outlined in Massachusetts’ final Clean Energy and Climate Plan (CECP) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector. For more background on the CECP for 2025 and 2030, read this blog.

Transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in Massachusetts and the state’s ability to meet its 2025 and 2030 GHG requirements will hinge largely on this sector. The final CECP requires reductions in the transportation sector of 18% by 2025 and 34% by 2030. In 2020, with all the reduced travel due to the pandemic, we reached 22% reductions under 1990 levels. But otherwise, transportation emissions have remained stubborn, as the green bar in the graph below demonstrates.

How the Clean School Bus Program Can Transform Our School Bus Fleets

Cleaner school buses are just on the horizon! Recently the EPA announced the new Clean School Bus Program (CSB), which aims to replace school buses with more sustainable versions over the next five years with a whopping $5 billion as funding. For the first round, the EPA is offering $500 million worth of rebates, and applications are already open! If you are a decision-maker in your town, or an advocate trying to influence those decision-makers, take note: the deadline is August 19th!

Rhode Island EV Rebate Program is Open for Applications

Starting today, July 7, Rhode Islanders who want to purchase or lease an electric vehicle (EV) are eligible to receive a rebate from the newly re-instated DRIVE EV program. This is big news for drivers who are tired of paying $5 per gallon of gasoline and are ready to buy a car that’s much better for the climate.