The Westfield Gas and Electric is seeking grants for 16 electric vehicle charging stations like this one at the Mill at Crane Pond. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THEWESTFIELD NEWS)
WESTFIELD – Westfield Gas and Electric has applied for a series of grants that would add more electric vehicle charging stations to locations around Westfield.
WG&E General Manager Tom Flaherty said that they completed 16 separate applications for grants for $50,000 each to install 16 new electric vehicle charging stations.
Flaherty said that if they are approved for the grants, a charging station would be installed at every school in Westfield. He said they would also install one at the WG&E headquarters, three at Westfield Barnes Regional Airport, and at least three more in different municipal parking lots throughout the city.
“When you drive through Springfield to Lee, there aren’t a lot of [charging] locations coming off the pike or a lot of locations off of I91,” said Flaherty.
Flaherty said that the existing charging ports in Westfield are pay-to-use. He said that they chose to make it a paid service because they did not want people abusing the free charging stations.
He pointed out that there is a slightly different system in some communities in Eastern Massachusetts where there is a higher rate of electric vehicle usage. He said that they offer discounted overnight rates for vehicle charging ports.
Some of the already-existing ports in Westfield are considered “level 3” ports, meaning they output a higher voltage and charge one’s vehicle faster. The 16 grants WG&E applied for would be for a series of level 2 chargers.
Level 2 chargers output a lower voltage than level 3 chargers. For most electric vehicles, if one begins the charge when their battery is empty, it will typically take at least a few hours for the battery to become fully charged.
“We are pushing for level 2 because they are at minimal cost to Westfield Gas and Electric,” said Flaherty.
He said that the grants they applied for nearly match the cost of installation for a level 2 charger.
