Electric Vehicles

Across Sidewalk Electric Vehicle Charging Permit

The City of Cambridge has a pilot permit program to allow residents who do not have access to off-street parking to charge electric vehicles. Please read below for more information on how to apply for the annual permit, the cost, the requirements, and areas that are eligible for the application.

How To Apply: Please use this link to access the online application

Cost: The cost of the annual permit is $200

Requirements for obtaining a permit:

• Must have a valid City of Cambridge Parking Permit
• Must have a letter from a certified electrician confirming that there is a ground-floor outdoor outlet that is protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter ("GFCI")
• Must have proof of homeowners or renters insurance
• Must provide an ADA accessible ramp over the cord to ensure the sidewalk remains accessible for people walking

Requirements for maintaining a permit: Please use this link to access the online application which includes the requirements for maintaining a permit 

Full policy: Please use this link to access the full policy

Cable protectors: Please use this link to see different suggested cable protectors

Areas that are eligible: If you live within 1/8 mile of an existing city-owned street side EV charging station, you are not eligible for the pilot application. Please use this link to see a map of eligible areas. Other locations that are not eligible include major pedestrian routes and streets with separated bike lanes.

Right-to-Charge Law

This law is specific to the City of Cambridge and was signed by the Governor in December 2022. The Right-to-Charge law is for owners of units in Condo and multi-family buildings. The law gives owners the right to install EV charging in their building at the owners expense. EV charging systems must be installed by a licensed and qualified electrician or contractor.

Some possible issues may arise in the interpretation of the law, including a desire to have EV charging installed in a particular deeded parking space, where there could be significant engineering constraints. The law indicates that using common parking spaces for transition to EV charging, as long as the space is available to all building residents, could be alleviate this problem. Additionally, the law does not seem to solve the problem of the potential need to upgrade a buildings' electrical capacity to handle the new electrical load as a result of the installation of EV chargers.

Please use this link to download a PDF copy of the law text. 

Past Meetings

Public Meeting #2

Thanks to all who joined! The City held the 2nd public meeting with folks from the City's Community Development Department, Department of Public Works, and Traffic, Parking, and Transportation to on May 24th, 2023 to discuss our approach to install additional electric vehicle chargers on City streets and in municipal parking lots.

The virtual meeting included a presentation that began at 5:30pm on Zoom and left plenty of time for questions and answers at the end of the presentation. Please use this link to watch a recording of the virtual presentation. If a passcode is required, please use: zCdq!&3r

Please use this link to see the PDF slide deck. 

Public Meeting #1

The City of Cambridge hosted a public forum to discuss the EV charging station Pilot Program on January 12, 2022. Here is a link to the PDF presentation.

New Charging Stations Available!

The City of Cambridge continues to add new charging station locations in different neighborhoods across the City. Electric Vehicle drivers can now access new Level 2 dual-head charging stations at:

• Inman Street at the corner of Broadway in Mid-Cambridge,
• Upland Road at the corner of Raymond Street in Neighborhood Nine, and
• Pemberton Street at the corner of Yerxa Road in North Cambridge 

Presentation to City Council

The City of Cambridge Community Development Department and Department of Public Works presented an update to members of City Council at the Health and Environment Committee Hearing in November, 2021. An accessible version of the presentation is available at the following link:

• Click here to access the PDF slide deck that was presented to the Health and Environment Committee

Pilot Program

The City of Cambridge continues to identify more sites for expanding our network of EV chargers. This program aims to increase access to EV charging stations for residents without driveways. 

Incentive Programs

State of Massachusetts Incentive Programs

The Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles Program (MOR-EV) provides rebates for buying or leasing Electric Vehicles (EVs). The rebate program includes:

• Eligible battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) rebates up to $3,500
• Vehicle sales price must be $55,000 or less
• Eligible plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can receive rebates of $1,500 (this will likely phase out in Spring 2023)
• Point-of-sale: Rebate applications can take place at dealerships at the time of sale or lease
• Qualifying low-income individuals can receive additional $1,500
• Qualifying used electric vehicles are able to apply for rebate
• Caps on the number of fleet electric vehicles acquired (that weigh less than 8,000 pounds) have been eliminated

Here is a link to the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles program.  If you have additional questions, see the FAQ about the MOR-EV program at this link.

Federal Incentive Programs

The United States Department of Energy Federal Incentive Program includes up to $7,500 federal income tax credit for clean energy vehicles. Congress recently passed new legislation -- the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 -- which changes credit amounts and requirements for clean energy vehicles based on:

• The location where the vehicle was assembled
• Limits on personal income
• Vehicle cost
• Battery capacity

If you are considering buying or leasing an Electric Vehicle, please use this link to visit the Department of Energy's Fuel Economy website, to review information on which vehicles qualify for the tax credit.

To review currently available incentives using the above link, you will need the following information:

• The date of purchase
• The vehicle year, make, and model 

To accommodate EV drivers who do not have access to a driveway for charging at home, Cambridge offers public charging stations throughout the city.

All City-owned charging stations offer a Level 2 charge and charge a rate of $0.189 per kWh drawn and $0.15 per hour.

All other parking fees and rules still apply.

To see other charging stations in the ChargePoint network located throughout the region, click here.

The Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center also has a map of charging stations made by other manufacturers. 

City-Owned Chargers:

• Inman Street at Broadway (City Hall Annex at 344 Broadway) NEW
  This station came online in mid-April 2023. This station can charge 3 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time. NOTE this parking area includes two dedicated EV charging spaces for municipal fleet vehicles.
  
  
• Upland Road at Raymond Street (by Raymond Park)
  This station came online in mid-February 2023. This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.

• Pemberton Street at Yerxa Road (by Rindge Field)
  This station came online mid-February, 2023. This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.

• Tudor Street Dog Park
  This station came online in late October, 2022. This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.

• Norfolk Street at Sennott Park
  This station came online in late October, 2022. This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.

• Department of Public Works, 147 Hampshire Street
  There are 5 charging stations, with 8 total charging ports, at the Department of Public Works (DPW), 147 Hampshire St. These charging stations are available for public use Monday 8 p.m. – Tuesday 6 a.m., Tuesday – Friday 5 p.m. – 6 a.m. and all-day on Saturday and Sunday. The stations are located in the parking lot to the left of the Frazier Building, which is accessible via Hampshire St.
  
  
• First St. Garage, 2nd level, entrance on Spring Street
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• City Lot #5 on Bishop Allen Drive, between Norfolk and Douglass Street
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at a time.
  
  
• City Hall, Inman Street side lot
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 1 vehicle with a level 2 charge at a time.
  
  
• 7 Warren St / Macarelli Way
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 375 Green Street
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 420 Green Street
  This station is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 177 Garden Street (St. Peters Field / Montessori School)
  This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 99 Sherman Street
  This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 341 Rindge Avenue (Comeau Field)
  This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.
  
  
• 73 Sherman Street (St. Peters Field / Salt Shed)
  This station can charge 2 vehicles with a level 2 charge at the same time.