Photo: Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fuel Infrastructure (CFI) program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town has installed the district's DC fast chargers (four ports), as well as four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million in CFI funding, are conveniently located along Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, serving drivers from Connecticut to the Canadian border.
The hub also has local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure racks on site. The chargers are designed to cater to everyone: from local residents and tourists to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles serving regional businesses, such as food and beverage manufacturers.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as an example of future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are essential to giving more people the option to ride and drive electric. The City of Deerfield is demonstrating leadership in building charging infrastructure that brings transportation options to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced climate change-induced flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, Connecticut River and Bloody Brook. The project includes environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of flooding and climate, including the installation of asphalt and permeable rain gardens, the planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of a new green space in downtown Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration's CFI Grant program is expanding EV infrastructure across the country. It provides grants for projects that complement and expand the NEVI program's programs in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. To date, the CFI Grant Program has allocated more than $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investment and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more efficient and convenient.
Read more: US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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