How-To Guide #10 Electric Vehicles and Chargers

More and more Massachusetts car buyers are choosing electric vehicles! The number and types of EVs available to consumers, along with the financial incentives to help pay for them, are both rapidly expanding.  Now is a great time to explore making your next vehicle purchase an electric one.

What Is an Electric Vehicle? What Are EV Chargers?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cars, trucks and other modes of transportation with engines powered by batteries that can be recharged by plugging the vehicle into a home or public charging station. 

EVs include those that are powered exclusively by batteries (“battery electric vehicles” or BEVs, a term sometimes used by the government), as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Like fully-electric cars, PHEVs and HEVs have a rechargeable battery, but they also have an internal combustion engine that runs on gas that will power the car when the battery power is depleted. Unlike PHEVs, HEVs cannot plug into the grid to recharge.

EV chargers are the method by which electric vehicle batteries are re-energized. The amount of time it takes to fully charge a battery depends on the size of the battery, the speed of the onboard charger (the vehicle’s device that manages a safe charging speed), and the type of charging. There are three types of charging:

How Can This Help the Climate?

EVs are far more efficient than gas-powered combustion engines with 77% of the electricity used to power the wheels, versus 12-30% with gasoline engines. They also significantly reduce the vehicle emissions that cause climate change and exacerbate local air pollution and related health problems.

The Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap provides the Commonwealth’s plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by switching from burning fossil fuels to clean electricity. Transportation makes up almost 40% of the state’s carbon emissions, so transitioning our gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles is key. The Commonwealth has also mandated that the electric utilities operating in Massachusetts annually increase the grid’s clean energy supply.  The cleaner the grid, the cleaner the operation of electric vehicles. 

What’s Involved? What Choices Are There?

Joining the EV revolution requires purchasing or leasing an EV and accessing EV charging stations for battery recharging. There are many options available for both tasks and a range of financial incentives to help.

Getting an EV

Each year, consumers enjoy a widening array of new and used EV choices for purchase or leasing. Some of the traditional resources for internal combustion engine car reviews — Consumer Reports, Edmunds, Car and Driver — now review each year’s line-up of new EV models. In addition to visiting dealerships, options for test driving EVs include ZipCar, Turo, and some of the major car rental companies.

The non-profit organization Green Energy Consumers Alliance runs a “Drive Green” program providing information on EVs, EV charging, and financial incentives. The program also offers a shopping tool and resources to learn more about EV choices, both new and used, and the rollout underway of the uniform North American Charging System (“NACS”) at public chargers around the country.  Given this transition, prospective purchasers should read up on the charging technology used by the EVs they are considering. Drive Green also offers some pre-arranged pricing through dealer partnerships. 

Today, the predominant battery type found in EVs is lithium-ion, a larger, more powerful version of the batteries found in many household and personal products such as cell phones. EVs have a range that is determined by the storage size of the battery in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and vehicle efficiency, which, as with combustion engine vehicles, varies. One way to compare vehicle efficiency and costs is to look at the lifecycle of different vehicles on Carboncounter.com, where you can compare different BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs and internal combustion models.

Charging an EV

There are a number of charging options available both for charging at home and away from home at public charging stations.

Home Charging:  As explained above, Level 1 charging can be readily accomplished by plugging in the EV to a standard 120-volt AC outlet. 

Faster Level 2 home charging requires 240-volt AC service and an EVSE.  Green Energy Consumers Alliance provides a charging guide that discusses different options for an EVSE purchase, and product reviews are readily available from Consumer Reports , the New York Times’ Wirecutter column and others.  Installation costs for Level 2 chargers will vary depending on whether the outlet will be installed inside a garage or outdoors, the distance of the charger from the electrical panel, and whether the installation will require an underground trench to reach a post-mounted charger away from the building.  One factor to consider is that “smart chargers” — EVSEs that help you manage the charging process — may be required for certain rebates and to take advantage of Eversource’s anticipated future utility rate changes based on time of use. An electrician may advise you that you need to upgrade your electrical service if you don’t have adequate capacity. One approach that may be less costly than an electrical service upgrade is to install an energy management or “load sharing” device along with the charger. These devices automatically slow the charging rate to compensate for other electricity demands on the electric panel; in a multi-family or condo building, these load-sharing devices can also manage demand between multiple chargers. Remember that a licensed electrician should obtain all relevant permits and inspections from the Town of Brookline’s Building Department.

Public charging:  The availability of public charging stations is expanding, and there are helpful apps to find available chargers that suit your vehicle and needs. A federal government website identifies across-network charging stations and some details about them, including the charger type and port type; similar information is provided by the app Plugshare.  A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is a trip-planning app that provides similar information on charging stations available along a route it generates to your travel destination. Charging network deployers including EVGo, Chargepoint and Electrify America have their own apps to identify the chargers within their fleet; these can be helpful if an EV purchase includes a period of free charging or a cost-saving discount at a particular network.

The Town of Brookline is continuously expanding publicly-available EV charging; the DPW’s website details where to find chargers currently, and information about future plans to expand the network.

Historically, there have been competing models of charging technology for BEVs. This is an evolving topic and it’s important to be aware of the specific charging requirements for your EV. Green Energy Consumers Alliance Drive Green website posts illustrations of the various types of ports and plugs and explains the details.  An exciting development is the transition to a new, uniform EV charger technology known as “North American Charging Standard” (NACS), based on the formerly proprietary Tesla charger. The transition means that Tesla’s expansive charging network will be available to all EVs. As the transition unfolds, some EV manufacturers are providing adapters for Tesla chargers, and some Tesla charging stations  have “magic docks” with adapters. You can find them on Tesla’s website or app.

Other Considerations

Comparing EVs with gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine vehicles:

As with all types of vehicles, cold weather can make a battery less efficient and reduce range, although there are cold weather strategies to minimize the impact.

Financial Incentives

IMPORTANT: This Guide summarizes incentives and tax credits as of 2024. Efforts will be made to update the information as necessary.

EV purchase and lease incentives:

EV car buyers can use federal tax credits to reduce the cost of new EVs by up to $7,500, and used EVs by up to $4,000, subject to certain personal income ceilings and vehicle eligibility. Green Energy Consumers Alliance explains some of the details on its “Drive Green” federal tax credit website, as does a government website tool.

Massachusetts also provides rebates to lower the cost of EVs for residents, currently providing up to $3,500 for a qualifying new or used car purchase or lease, and up to $7,500 for a qualifying EV truck purchase or lease. Income-eligible buyers may receive an additional $1,500. For details, see Green Energy Consumer Alliance’s “Drive Green” state rebates summary for Massachusetts and the Commonwealth’s MOR-EV program.

Home charging incentives:

Single-family homes and multi-family buildings of 4 units or fewer: Eversource offers rebates to help customers lower the cost of home charger installations.  These run from $700 to $2,700 depending on number of units served, location and utility discount rate status. Eligibility requirements include the purchase of a “smart” EVSE from an approved list to enable participation in Eversource’s anticipated “managed charging” program.

Multi-family buildings of 5 or more units: There are two programs available. 

  1. The MassEVIP program, with funding from the State’s settlement with Volkswagen, provides grants to partially cover the cost of EVSEs in buildings of 5 or more units. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until all available funding is spent; refer to the MassEVIP Multi-Unit Dwelling webpage for program details and application instructions.
  2. The Eversource Make Ready program pays for upgrades to the electrical infrastructure and service to support the installation of EV chargers. Eversource subsidizes the cost of, and performs all necessary work in the public way, for example upgrades of conduits and transformers. It also subsidizes the cost of upgrades on private property that are performed by an approved contractor the property owner retains. The Make Ready program may also subsidize the cost of EVSE’s in the event that an applicant is not eligible for EVSE subsidies through MassEVIP. Completing an EV installation through the Make Ready program can be a long and complicated process, but it could offer large subsidies when significant electrical upgrades are needed. Detailed information about Make Ready subsidies is posted in a table on Eversource’s website; scroll down for details on the Multi-Unit Dwelling EV Charging Program.

Federal Tax Credit: A few of Brookline’s census tracts are currently eligible for  a  “30C” federal tax credit of 30%, with a maximum of $1,000, for the cost of installing EV chargers at a principal residence. This federal website provides a map of eligible census tracts and you can search for your specific  address.

Other Resources

Here are some of the many excellent resources:

Federal Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center — Electric Vehicles and Fuel Economy — All-Electric Vehicles

Eversource electric utility EV information, with info about vehicles, fuel savings, charging and incentives

Green Energy Consumers Alliance (MA and RI) Drive Green program information, including partnerships with selected dealerships.

How Your Neighbors Made the Switch

Story #1 – Using Public EV Chargers

A Brookline couple lived in one-half of a two-family house where they had raised their now-adult children. In 2020, they bought their electric vehicle — a Chevy Bolt — and they have loved having it. They charged their EV with a Level 1 charger — a long cord that connected from the car’s charging port to a standard outlet inside their home. While it could take two days to fully charge, that was no problem as they walked or biked around town more often than they used the car.

showing a woman using a public EV charger

In 2022, when they were downsizing and looking for a condo to buy, they discovered that it wasn’t easy to find a condo with a parking space that included an EV charger. The condo on Washington Street they liked had parking nearby, but no charging. So they assessed their lifestyle and realized that they were quite near the public chargers in the Town Hall parking lots, and since they used their car fairly infrequently, maybe they could make public charging work.

So now their Sunday routine is to wake up early, drive their car to the Town Hall lot, plug it in to the Level 2 charger and go for a run. When they come back in the early afternoon the car is fully charged. They have three apps to see when a charger opens up and when their car is fully charged. At that point they have a half hour to pick up the car before additional fees start to be incurred. They use ChargePoint’s app for the Town Hall chargers; they use GreenSpot for the public chargers on Webster Street; and they use EvGo when they are traveling to find fast chargers available on their route. This process has worked well for them.

Another Brookline couple recently relocated from the Philadelphia area to Brookline and purchased a condo in an association with 26 units and assigned parking spots, but no EV chargers. They had a Nissan Leaf — what to do? They learned that the association was researching whether to install chargers and was working with Eversource to put together a plan.  While that project was underway, the couple relied on the Town’s public chargers. As the Town has installed more and more of these across different neighborhoods, it was pretty easy to find a public charger nearby and they could rely on getting a full charge when they needed it.

public EV charger in Brookline

When the Condo Board received the proposed design from Eversource for the electrical upgrades needed for EV chargers, they decided not to present their findings to the residents; the proposal was too expensive, even with the contribution from Eversource, and only a few of the condo owners actually owned EVs at that time. So now the couple revised their approach to charge their car and installed a standard outdoor weatherized outlet, wired directly from their condo. They were fortunate that their assigned parking spot was directly below their condo, so this was relatively easy to do.  Charging through a standard outlet provides about 4 miles for an hour of charge — often called “trickle charging” — but this works for them because they mostly walk or bike and don’t need the car for commuting to work. If they  need the car for a longer trip, they use one of the Town’s Level 2 or Level 3 chargers. Their electric usage has increased somewhat, but given the couple’s strong commitment to the climate, and the convenience of EVs, with less frequent and less costly maintenance, owning an electric vehicle still makes sense for them.

Story # 2 – Using Rebates and Discounts to Help Pay for an EV and Home Charger

In 2024, a Brookline Village resident decided to replace his family’s 18-year-old hybrid car with an EV.  He needed to do it quickly, as the car was in urgent need of costly repairs that would not have been a wise investment. The family’s lifestyle did not usually involve much driving, but they did need cargo space, as well as seat and ceiling heights that worked for everyone.

The family had joined ZipCar for a couple of months to try out some of the EVs in their fleet. Based on their driving experiences and research (including watching YouTube reviews), their top choices were the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, ultimately deciding on the Ioniq 5 for its improved rear/side visibility and larger cargo space compared to the EV6. The original plan was to buy a used EV, so they visited a dealer specializing in pre-owned EVs; when they couldn’t find a suitable used vehicle, they decided instead to buy a new one.

The family visited a local Hyundai dealer, intending to buy an Ioniq 5 with standard range (approx. 240 miles) and rear-wheel drive (RWD), which provided higher efficiency, range, and more “frunk” (front trunk) space than the all-wheel drive (AWD). The dealership didn’t carry the standard range or RWD models, saying “there wasn’t much demand for them in the Northeast.” They did locate two at remote dealerships, but between the added cost to transport a vehicle and no ability to negotiate the price, that option was less attractive. They decided to choose an EV on the lot with AWD and extended range (approx. 300 miles).

At the time of manufacture, Hyundai had not yet transferred enough of its EV production to the U.S. for the car to qualify for the $7,500 federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credit (note that this eligibility could change in 2025); instead, the dealership provided a “manufacturer’s discount” in that amount.  The vehicle was eligible for a $3,500 Massachusetts MOR-EV rebate. Finally, the dealership offered a $5,000 discount to lease the EV, instead of the $2,200 discount they had negotiated to purchase it. A lease had additional appeal as a way to mitigate depreciation risk. The family made a down payment of $2,500 on the lease and walked away with a new Ioniq 5 with $16,000 worth of discounts.

For home EV charging, the resident purchased a 50 amp ChargePoint Home Flex charger ($549 from Lowe’s), which he learned would be eligible to participate in Eversource’s future managed charging program, and therefore eligible for the utility’s rebate of the installation cost ($700). The electrician mounted the charger on the outside of the house just a few feet away from the basement electric panel. Since the panel had sufficient spare capacity, the only electrical work required was a new circuit breaker and wiring to the outdoor charger.

By leveraging federal and state rebates, and doing some smart dealer negotiating, this family landed a 3-year substantially-discounted lease of a new EV, along with a rebate for the cost of installing a home charger.

Story #3:  Using MassEVIP funding for EV Charging at a Condo Complex

Having lived in a large Brookline house for over 30 years, this Brookline couple downsized to a condo a few years ago. Their unit is the first floor of a three-story row house built around 1925.  The condominium complex includes 30 units in all, in 10 buildings of 3 units each.

The condo owner has had a long-standing and deep interest in renewable energy and the first thing she realized after moving in was that, while there was a parking lot for the condo complex with room for 30 cars, there was no place to charge her plug-in hybrid. That set her on a path to see what might be possible.

With some partners from the other condo units, they began doing their research and found an amazing lack of information. They started bringing contractors in and asking questions:

  • Did they need 30 chargers for the 30 parking spaces? 
  • How could they bring in enough electricity for all those chargers?  How could they wire the lot?  They didn’t think that any of the older buildings had enough power and they got a proposal from Eversource to get a new transformer, but that proved too comprehensive and too costly for the condominium association.

After speaking with numerous experts in the renewable energy sector (in both non-profit and consulting entities), they came to the conclusion that they didn’t need 30 chargers after all. One charger could handle multiple cars — one at a time — with scheduling software that would let users see when the charger was available. Currently there were seven owners (some with EVs, some with plug-in hybrids) who could make use of the chargers, so they decided to start with one charger and see how things went.

They sent in a grant application to the Mass Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP) of the Department of Environmental Protection to help defray the cost. In order to be eligible for this grant at least one space needed to be handicapped accessible. Luckily the condo association’s parking lot had one space that met the dimensional requirements. Even better, that space was next to the one building in the complex that had had its electricity upgraded from 200 to 400 amps. Another eligibility requirement was that the charger have an Energy Star rating. They got the grant, which funded 60% of the cost for the charger and the installation, which was a total of around $9,000.  The remainder of the expense — around $4,000 — came out of the association’s common budget.

Everything went live in mid-August 2023, with one charger from BTC Power with one port.  Its location is in an alcove at the back of one of the buildings and can only accommodate one car at a time.  The key to success so far is the software provided by subscription by EVConnect that controls access, handles credit card payments and gives availability information. With an EVConnect app on their smart phones, users can see if the charger is free to use.

The condominium board has drawn up policies and rules guiding the use by condo owners who want to charge their vehicles.

  • Users pay a $50 annual fee.
  • There is a $1.00 hookup fee each time you charge.
  • Users pay  $0.40/kWh while charging.
  • Guests cannot use the charger (This may change in the future as they see how the system works for users.)
  • Once charging is complete, the vehicle must be moved within one hour. After that there is an additional cost of $5/hour (“idling time”), which is suspended for overnight between 11:00 pm – 8:00 am.

The process to do all the research, to apply for the grant, and to get approval from the condo board was time-consuming and they wished there had been more information available to them at the time.  They found that the software company, EVConnect, was very helpful, providing advice and training on the software. They had also reached out to a Transportation Engineer in Brookline’s Transportation Division of the DPW, who gave them terrific advice.

Story # 4 – Using Eversource “Make Ready” Program Funds for Installing EV Chargers

The case study below – from Acton, Massachusetts — highlights the “Make Ready” programs of Eversource and other electric utility companies operating in the Commonwealth, with almost $400 million in state funding available.  “Make Ready” programs can provide significant funding for the electrical infrastructure upgrades necessary for EV charging and/or solar at residential properties (rentals or condos) with 5 or more units. Because the “Make Ready” program is targeted to businesses, in order to qualify the property must have a commercial Eversource account; many large condo and rental properties have a commercial account for the electricity used in their common areas, or one can be created for the purpose of installing EV chargers.

This 24-unit housing development in Acton is organized as a condo association with a mixture of single family homes, duplexes and triplexes, and includes two parking lots with 34 unassigned parking spots. The parking lots had minimal electrical infrastructure, just some lighting. The condo association wanted to use Eversource’s “Make Ready” program to help fund the electrical upgrades needed to install EV chargers in the two lots.  It also wanted “Make Ready” funding to subsidize the cost of adding solar canopies over the parking lots.

In 2021, the condo association submitted two “Make Ready” applications to Eversource for EV charging, one for each lot. Eversource required the association to pay $1,200 for a study to analyze the electrical distribution system and whether it could support both EV charging and solar.  After the study confirmed feasibility in 2022, Eversource reimbursed the study cost. The association’s contractor successfully applied to be added to Eversource’s list of approved EV contractors.

Eversource’s preferred practice is to install 5 EV chargers at a time — in this case, 5 chargers in each of the 2 lots, for a total of 10 EV chargers — which was more than the association wanted. Ultimately, Eversource agreed to put in 2 chargers in one lot and 3 in the other, and wire the remaining 5 spots for possible future EVSE installation.

Per “Make Ready” requirements, Eversource required the association to apply for MassEVIP subsidies for the EVSEs that, if granted, would offset Eversource’s award. However, due to MassEVIP delays, Eversource ultimately helped subsidize the cost of the EVSEs, including paying for the first 5 years of monitoring software. (Having monitoring software is a requirement of the “Make Ready” program, and Eversource monitors the EVSEs to make sure they are being used.)

The charger selected met the EVSE requirements of both Eversource and MassEVIP and had software that accommodated non-resident charging at a higher rate (although associated credit card fees have been high, and the development may reconsider billing approaches).

Eversource contributed around $50,000 toward the EV charging stations. The association’s total outlay for the chargers and associated infrastructure was $7,000, which was paid for from their capital fund. Residents and visitors who use the chargers pay fees that are used to pay the electricity bills, with a bit saved for future maintenance costs. The process was long and complicated but ultimately successful, and the EV chargers went online in January 2024.

Story #5:  Using Load Management to Install EV Chargers and Avoid Electrical Upgrades

Looking to take advantage of EV incentives, a Brookline couple purchased an EV in early December 2024, before any changes to federal EV tax credits that might take place with the new administration.  With state rebates and manufacturer’s discounts, they bought a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 for under $34,000. But now they needed a charger.

The couple owns a small, 1500 square-foot home with a 100-amp electrical system. They installed a heat pump system a year and a half earlier so were assuming they would need an upgrade to 200 amps. But they had also heard about load management devices that can monitor and control energy consumption and increase efficiency to avoid costly upgrades.

DCC device installed below breaker box
DCC device installed below breaker box

They got bids from three electricians, requesting estimates for installing a charger with an upgrade and alternately, with a load management device. One of the electricians had no experience with the latter so was not considered. The other two had similar estimates, with the upgrade plus charger installation running around $8000. By contrast, installing a charger with a DCC-12 load management device cost $3600. They decided on the latter and then purchased a Level 2 Emporia Charger from Amazon for $400.

The Emporia charger is on the Mass Save list of approved chargers, and the homeowners applied for and received a $1000 rebate (an amount available to those in Environmental Justice communities). This brought the total equipment and installation expenses down to $3000 — some $4000 less than if they had done an electrical update.

The DCC device works by monitoring the home’s electrical system and automatically pausing the charger if the home’s total usage reaches 80% of capacity. The charger delivers up to 48 amps, but the electrician installed it on a 30-amp circuit as per guidance from the Brookline electrical inspector. To date, they have experienced no apparent delays in charging, even when hosting several house guests.

They’ve been very happy with this solution. It makes sense for a small home, especially since they do most of their charging overnight. And by avoiding an upgrade, it saved money and puts less pressure on the grid.

IMPORTANT: Verify with your installers that they have the proper licenses and insurance, and confirm that they have or will obtain all required permits and inspections from the Town of Brookline.