Boston receives $15M federal grant to install at least 300 EV charging ports citywide

“This investment in electric vehicle charging stations across Boston will help make sure that every neighborhood in the city benefits from our clean energy future,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said.

Boston will gain 300 or more electric vehicle charging ports under a new $15 million federal grant meant to aid the city’s goal of expanding EV infrastructure in every neighborhood.

Announced Tuesday, Boston’s award is among $521 million in new federal grant funding the Biden-Harris Administration has put toward building out a national EV charging network, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation news release.

Boston’s grant will benefit the city’s Recharge Boston program, which aims to put every household within a five-minute walk of a public charging station or EV car share. The program falls within the city’s yearslong initiative to push Boston closer to carbon neutrality through the use of electric and zero-emission vehicles.

“Yesterday’s $15 million grant for our Recharge Boston program marks a pivotal step forward in our commitment to reducing transportation emissions and combating climate change,” Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Boston’s Green New Deal director and environment commissioner, said in a statement.

According to the grant project description, the $15 million will help Boston install a minimum of 300 EV charging ports across the city, with a focus on environmental justice communities. That includes neighborhoods where minorities make up a larger share of the population or where the annual median household income falls at or below 65% of the statewide median, per state criteria.

“The project includes several city programs that will steer EV charging jobs to those in disadvantaged communities and to disadvantaged business enterprises,” the description reads.

Boston’s new charging ports will include a combination of level 2 and direct current fast chargers, according to the project description. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation also won a separate $1.2 million grant “to accelerate the planning and installation of up to 40 publicly accessible EV charging locations, primarily located in public parks,” a summary for that project states.

“This substantial funding will add resources to the City’s strong foundation of new programs in EV charging in City parking lots and on City streets, accelerating the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure across the city,” Sellers-Garcia said. “By investing in charging stations and related infrastructure, we are making EVs more accessible and practical for all Bostonians and fostering a more sustainable future for Boston.”

Lawmakers also welcomed the boost to Boston’s EV charging infrastructure, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren calling the funding a win for the state.

“Cleaner air, more sustainable transit, and good-paying jobs — clean energy investments are a win-win-win for Massachusetts,” Warren said in a statement. “This investment in electric vehicle charging stations across Boston will help make sure that every neighborhood in the city benefits from our clean energy future.”

Earlier this year, Warren and California Rep. Robert Garcia reintroduced the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would authorize the U.S. Department of Transportation to distribute $500 billion over the next decade to build new electric transportation infrastructure and electrify and modernize public vehicles and rail.

Sen. Ed Markey, who has long been a prominent advocate for green policies, likewise described Boston’s EV charging grant as “a major win for the city and for environmental justice communities.”

“I worked on this grant program in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in order to fulfill the promise of my Community Vehicle Charging Act, and with accessible and fairly distributed public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, more communities will be able to access the economic and health benefits provided by electric vehicles and benefit from the just clean energy transition in the Commonwealth,” Markey said in a statement.

According to Sellers-Garcia, the new grant also helps cement Boston’s role as a leader in fighting climate change.

“This initiative aligns with our broader Green New Deal goals, ensuring that our city remains at the forefront of environmental stewardship and innovation,” he said.