Barnstable County Installs Five Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Adds Two Electric Vehicles to its Fleet
For Immediate Release
October 5, 2020 – Barnstable, MA: Barnstable County received a total of $27,208.40 in three separate state grants that will pay toward the lease of two electric vehicles (EVs) and installation of multiple EV charging stations, making the County the newest EV charging station host on Cape Cod.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, five electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, totaling ten Level 2 charging ports, turned operational. Designed with cutting-edge technology to enhance safety and reliability, these “smart charging” systems were installed at the Barnstable County complex at the Registry of Deeds and Innovation Conference Room parking lots and at the Orleans District Court parking lot.
With an increase in electric cars comes the need to support the infrastructure—specifically, EV charging stations. Barnstable County Administrator Jack Yunits, Jr. said, “We know that Cape Cod will continue to see more electric vehicles in the future, and the County wants to be a part of the infrastructure to support the demand.” Yunits added, “Thank you to Barnstable County’s Director of Facilities, Donald Reynolds, for pursuing these grants to provide this to our employees, residents, and visitors.”
The combination of grants awarded from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA-DEP) and Eversource supporting this effort include:
- Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (Mass EVIP): Administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), this grant provided for the lease of two vehicles and a charging station for the same totaling $12,500.
- Workplace Charging Station Program: A MassDEP grant that provided for 60% reimbursement of costs to install charging stations.
- Eversource Make-Ready Program: This grant program from Eversource provided for the EV charging station infrastructure identified as part of the Workplace Charger program.
Four of the five smart-charging stations have been installed in anticipation of employee use; however, they are also available to the public. Non-EVs are restricted from utilizing these charging station spaces, which will be painted and equipped with appropriate signage.
To access the County’s charging stations, drivers must download the ChargePoint app or use an RFID (radio frequency identification)-enabled credit card to use the chargers. (Visit www.chargepoint.com for more information). Charging fees have initially been set at $.30/kwh. This rate reflects an average of similar stations in the area. Cars can charge up to 6.6 kwh/hour max, or about $1.80/hour.
The charging stations were installed by Voltrek, a Massachusetts company that has established more than 2,000 charging points in New England to date.
“Voltrek is grateful for the opportunity to help Barnstable County meet its sustainability goals and provide clean transportation options for both public and municipal use,” said Voltrek CEO Kathleen Connors, whose firm is among the nation’s forerunners in providing design, installation and maintenance solutions for commercial EV infrastructure programs. “The reliability, reduced maintenance and zero-emissions benefits of EVs are continuing to propel the U.S. toward a more electrified transportation future—one that supports not only a healthier environment, but also a stronger economy in terms of energy independence.”
The County has furthered its sustainability commitment by replacing two inefficient gas-powered vehicles in the County fleet with two electric cars. One of the electric vehicles that the County leased serves as the primary mail delivery vehicle and transports Department of Facilities staff in need of working at the Orleans 2nd District Court. The second vehicle is an administrative vehicle available to all departments for official use.
###
