Electric Vehicles

If you can’t charge at your home you will need to rely on public or workplace charging. If you are considering buying an electric vehicle, consider how often you would need to recharge your vehicle and where you would have access to charging. One option could be to use the public charging stations that are conveniently located around Somerville.  Visit the Chargepoint portal to see if there is a public charging station near you. If you drive to work, you could also petition your workplace to install EV charging for employees.

Because there are many factors that go into siting public EV chargers, including distance from existing chargers, infrastructure capacity, potential demand, equitable access to all users, and parking availability, the City does not install public charging stations by request. The City of Somerville is committed to expanding public EV charging to provide equitable access throughout the city. Take a look at the Public Electric Vehicle Charging in Somerville report to learn more about how decisions about expanding public EV charging are made.

No, it is never safe to use an extension cord to charge a vehicle. You should only use charging equipment designed for vehicle charging. In addition, you are not allowed to run a charging cable across the sidewalk under any circumstances. This is a liability and could be hazardous. Active electric wires running across public spaces present many dangers, such as tripping and accessibility hazards, and could be a source of potential electrocution.

No, much of Somerville’s housing stock is old and does not have updated electrical wiring. Talk to your electrician or landlord to make sure your outlet is safe for EV charging before plugging in. Plugging your car into an outdated outlet can be dangerous and can result in damage to your home.

Be sure to get updated information on your building’s policies regarding parking, EVSE installation, and electrical upgrades. You will want to understand where you could install EVSE and how it would be metered. In most cases you will have to get permission from your condo association to install your EVSE. Additionally, check with other residents to see if anyone would be interested in sharing the EVSE with you to reduce installation and maintenance costs.

Here is an example of a letter requesting approval for EVSE installation from your condo board: Request Letter Template 

If one of the City of Somerville’s public chargers is not working properly, please report it through the Chargepoint app. If there is an issue with the parking space or damage to the charging equipment, please report it to Somerville 311.