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

$400 Million For Electric Car Charging in Massachusetts!

Way back in the summer of 2021, the electric utilities in Massachusetts – Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil – proposed bold new electric vehicle programs to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). For the next year, the DPU engaged in a formal process to weigh the utilities’ proposals. Green Energy Consumers served as an official “intervenor” in this docket, which means we advocated for what we thought the DPU should approve. Now, finally, a year and a half later, the DPU has issued its order, unleashing hundreds of millions of dollars for electric vehicle charging infrastructure over the next four years via Make Ready programs and rebates for charging installation (those are two separate but complementary things, as we’ll talk about below!).

May 2023 update: The utility programs are now live and taking applications! You can learn more about how much is available in incentives for residential consumers (single family, 2-4 unit buildings, and 5+) and how to apply here on our website.

Lifecycle Emissions of Electric Cars vs. Gasoline

When we talk about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EVs), we get a lot of questions about the lifetime greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of EVs vs internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Electric cars don’t have tailpipe emissions when running on electricity, but battery manufacturing is an energy-intensive process. So how does the math work out? According to this report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), EVs have far fewer global warming emissions over their lifetime than ICE cars.  Inthis blog, we'll break down the research from UCS and explain how EVs are cleaner and produce less total GHG emissions.

New Year, New Federal Tax Credit for Electric Cars

Yet Another Update on the Federal Clean Vehicle Credit

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law by President Biden in August 2022 fundamentally changed the structure of the federal tax credit for electric vehicles (EVs). Now, we’ve learned that the U.S. Treasury is delaying implementation of one key piece of the IRA, which means more vehicle models than expected may be eligible for incentives for a short time at the beginning of 2023. 

Rhode Island Can & Must Phase Out Gas Cars

Rhode Island has led the nation in the electric sector, with the first offshore wind farm in the country off of Block Island and the groundbreaking law to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2033. Unfortunately, concerning the transportation sector, the state is lagging behind several states. This year, we are advocating for Rhode Island to adopt a key set of regulations coming out of California: the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) standards. 

Guest Blogpost: The Magic School Bus

A note from Green Energy Consumers Alliance: We are big fans of electric school buses. You might've read our recent blogpost about the electric school buses coming to Massachusetts and Rhode Island thanks to new grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, we're excited to share a guest blogpost from Block Island about their new electric school bus, which was donated by the Solar Initiative (not funded by the EPA). Many thanks to Cindy Davis of the Solar Initiative for this post!

New Electric School Buses Coming to Massachusetts & Rhode Island

Earlier this summer, we wrote about applications being open for the Clean School Bus Program. Now, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced who got awarded – and school districts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are on the list!

GECA staff and partners with an electric school bus in Beverly, MA.

Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Rebate Increased to $3,500

The Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles Program (MOR-EV Program) has increased electric vehicle rebates from $2,500 to $3,500 for battery electric vehicles. This is the first of several changes to the state rebate program that will help make the car buying/leasing process more manageable for Massachusetts residents. 

A Buyers’ Guide to EV Charging Speeds

If you’re shopping for a new electric vehicle (EV), there may be several key features you’re looking for: trunk space, driving range, and other attractive styling options that may sway your decision for you. As more EV models come out and the technology improves, it’s possible that you’ll have a hard time comparing EVs on what’s probably a very important spec to you: charging speed. Truth be told, technical information about charging speed can be hard to understand. 

In this blog, we'll tell you all you need to know to compare EV charging speeds - information that will come in handy for your next road trip! 

What's Up With the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Rebate?

Massachusetts’ rebate program for electric vehicles, MOR-EV, has been critical to the growth of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the Commonwealth. This summer, Governor Baker signed into law An Act Advancing Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, which made important changes to the state EV rebate program. Those changes, however, have not yet come into effect. Here’s a summary of what changes are coming, when we think they might actually happen, and what’s causing the delay. 

Update: On November 17, 2022, the Department of Energy Resources announced that the MOR-EV rebate for battery-electric vehicles has been increased to $3,500. The DOER press release also stated that plug-in hybrids will continue to be eligible for a $1,500 rebate as long as they have at least 25 miles of electric range. DOER has not yet increased the final sales price limit from $50,000 to $55,000. You can read more about these changes in this more recent blogpost.