The Edgartown park and ride lot will soon become the park, ride and recharge lot as a total of four electric vehicle charging stations will soon be in operation at the site.
The project is part of an Island-wide effort to increase reliance on renewable energy, and the culmination of a two-year effort by the town’s energy committee, said Alan Strahler, Edgartown energy committee chairman.
“On the Island we know that there’s about almost as much use of fossil fuels for automobiles and transportation as there is for home heating. So it’s a big part of our Island’s . . . [carbon] footprint,” Mr. Strahler said. “So by encouraging more electric vehicles and making it more convenient, we should be able to help reduce our carbon footprint.”
The park and ride lot is located on Dark Woods Road and was chosen due to the high volume of car traffic there during the summer, Mr. Strahler said.
“At this location, it serves not only the summer folks, but also the winter folks too because a lot of commerce goes on in the Triangle and you can just park there and go in and shop . . . and add some miles onto the battery of your electric car,” he said.
Voters appropriated $26,000 for the project at the 2021 annual town meeting. The town also received a grant for $15,390 from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as part of an initiative to support renewable energy projects, Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty said.
Eversource is supporting the project through its Make Ready program, which seeks to promote electric vehicle use by covering the infrastructure costs of charging station projects, Mr. Strahler said.
“The chances are very good that by the end of the month they’ll be in place and working and people will be able to use them,” he said.
“You can park at the park and ride and start charging your car and head off on the shuttle bus during the summer and go downtown, do all the shopping you want, and come back and find you’ve added 50 or 100 miles to your battery,” he added.
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