Recharge Boston: Boston's Zero Emission Vehicle Program

The City of Boston is expanding the number of publicly accessible EV charging stations across the City. Some of these stations will be owned and operated by the city, while others will be public-private partnerships. These two different approaches will help us achieve our goal of having every Boston resident live within a 5-minute walk of an EV charging station.

Model 1: License the Right-of-Way (public/private partnership) 

• Our vendor, itselectric, will install and operate these stations. These will be no cost to the City.
• The City has a say on how these stations will be operated, and what fees are charged.
• These stations are low profile, minimizing the visual and physical impact on sidewalks.

Model 2: Public Ownership at City Assets

• The City is installing curbside electric vehicle (EV) charging ports throughout neighborhoods.
• Our vendor, Better Together Brain Trust (BT2), handles the hardware, installation, and maintenance of these stations, which are designed for curbside use, up to 19.2 kW.
• The majority of these locations are adjacent to public amenities, including parks, playgrounds, libraries, and within walking distance of commercial areas; except for where residents have requested, no stations are located adjacent to residential property.

 We are mitigating impacts to parking. Where possible, surrounding parking regulations will be adjusted to offset any real or perceived loss of parking, such as residential permit parking, business parking, and parking for libraries, parks, and other public resources. 

To learn more about the site selection process for the City-owned and operated EV charging stations, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0f961d4e700249869769dad65a118e96.

To increase access to public EV charging, the City of Boston is installing EV charging stations in some of our municipal parking lots.

Starting December 1, 2026, City Chargers (L2) cost $0.39 per kWh and City Fast Chargers (L3 Fast - some municipal lots) cost $0.49 per kWh. Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., move your EV within 30 minutes of charging completion. After 30 minutes, an overstay fee of $5 per hour (billed per minute) applies.

The City of Boston has released its Zero-Emission Vehicle Roadmap. The long-term strategy accelerates the adoption of electric vehicles and other zero-emission transportation.