Recently, I went on a journey to find the lowest gas prices in Acton, MA. That article triggered questions about the location, price, and charge-speed of public EV charging stations in and near Acton. So, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, I set out on an expedition to find the best EV charging stations, Level 2 and the faster Level 3, in and near Acton, MAa
I began where most people would begin: Google.
When I searched for “best EV charging stations in Acton, MA,” I saw the option to “Get an AI-powered overview for this search,” followed by a featured snippet from ChargeHub in the search engine results page.Generative AI is experimental and info quality may vary.
So, I skipped the AI-generated option and clicked on the ChargeHub link. Their Acton, Massachusetts EV Charging Stations Info said, “The city of Acton in Massachusetts, États-Unis, has 22 public charging station ports (Level 2 and Level 3) within 15km. 100% of the ports are level 2 charging ports and 9% of the ports offer free charges for your electric car.”
Ummm, isn’t Acton a town? Isn’t États-Unis French? And isn’t 15 kilometers about 9.32 miles?
Since the featured snippet left me with more questions than answers, I kept scrolling down the page and then saw “Places.” This is info that Google has gathered about local places and services. It’s displayed as a map (which can be expanded) and included thumbnail descriptions of three electric vehicle charging stations.
Now, you might know how to navigate your way to the ChargePoint Charging Station at 472 Main St., but most of your neighbors would find it helpful to know that it was located at Acton Town Hall. And the ChargePoint Charging Station at 177 Main St. is better known as the Discovery Museum. As for the Blink Charging Station at 100 Nonset Path, most folks in town would call it the Nagog Woods tennis courts.
After further digging, I found that the right information has been posted on the Town of Acton’s Sustainability website.
Instead of relying on Google to answer my questions, I contacted Andrea Becerra, the Sustainability Director for the Town of Acton, MA. And she answered my four questions via email. Hey, old technology still works. My questions (in italics) and her answers are below.
Greg Jarboe: “I’d be curious to know: are there more public charging points in Acton or more gas pumps?”
Andrea Becerra: “There are 9 gas stations in Acton listed online – the number of pumps likely varies from station to station so we’re not sure of the exact number of pumps. There are 10 public Level 2 chargers–this is a total of 20 ports. Six out of the 10 public chargers are owned and operated by the Town (a total of 12 ports). As you note in your last question, we have recently installed four new chargers (eight ports) at NARA PARK (two stations at the upper lot, and two stations in the lower lot) and two Level 3 fast chargers (two ports) at Veteran’s Field located at 655 Main St., across from the gas station. These new installations have not gone online yet – we are awaiting utility approvals and hope they will be operational by the end of March.”
Greg Jarboe: “How are the collected fees split between the owner of the land (e.g., Town government for the Town Hall charge points) and the company that installs (and owns?) the charge point?”
Andrea Becerra: “All of the fees for the Town-owned chargers go to the Town. The fees help cover the supply and delivery costs, charger network fees, and maintenance. The Green Advisory Board and the Select Board voted to set the price of all of the public chargers owned and operated by the Town to $0.35/kWh..”
Greg Jarboe: “I’ve heard that the charge points by Acton Town Hall charge a higher rate than others around town. Is this true?”
Andrea Becerra: “As of 2023, research conducted by the Sustainability Office documented the following list of charging rates in nearby towns:
“Local Level 2 EV charging prices include:
· “Lexington: $0.30/kWh
· “Concord: $1.60/hr., $3.40/hr. during peak hours
· “Arlington: $0.50/hr.
· “Littleton: $0.42/kWh
· “Marlborough: $0.20/kWh
· “Worcester (National Grid): Free
· “Westford: $0.25/kWh
· “Carlisle: $0.65/kWh
· “Maynard: $0.35/kWh.”
Greg Jarboe: “Finally, while I was driving around town last weekend I saw that the EV charging stations at NARA Park seem to be available. But I can’t find any information about them online. Are they already being used? Is there an official announcement anytime soon? What’s the price per kWh?”
Andrea Becerra: “I’m sorry you weren’t able to find information on the chargers. We will post a physical sign by the chargers to notify the public that the chargers are coming soon. There are some technical matters that need to be resolved with the charger—we hope to make them operational by the end of March. The price per kWh will be $0.35/kWh. We plan to officially announce the new chargers once they are operational – we are very eager to see them up and running. In the meantime, we will update the Public Electric Vehicle Charging page.”
After my online and email research, I started my expedition by going to Boxborough.
Albert J Sargent Memorial Library
427 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough, MA 01719
ChargePoint Electric vehicle charging station
1 Level 2 charger (2 ports)
$1.00/hour 10 pm to 7 am M-F, Sat & Sun. $2.50 per hour 7 am to 10 pm.
Open 24 hours
Next, I verified that Acton currently has more than 18 public ports. And more are on the way. I discovered a couple of public EV charging stations that aren’t on the map yet.
South Acton Commuter Rail Lot
4 Central Street, Acton, MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
2 Level 2 chargers (4 ports)
$0.30/kWh
Open 24 hours
Discovery Museum
177 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
1 level 2 charger (2 ports)
$0.16/kWh for first 2 hours
Parking free for first 120 mins, $5/hour after 120 mins
Open 24 hours
Acton Town Hall
472 Main Street, Acton MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
2 Level 2 chargers (4 ports)
$2/hour
Open 24 hours
Parking lot behind Acton Town Hall
25 Woodbury Lane, Acton MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
2 Level 2 chargers (4 ports)
$2/hour
Open 24 hours
Veteran’s Memorial Field
339 Great Rd, Acton, MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
2 level 3 chargers (4 ports)
(Coming by May 5, 2024)
NARA Park Beach
25 Ledge Rock Way, Acton, MA 01720
Flo electric vehicle charging station
2 level w chargers (4 ports)
(Coming by the end of March)
NARA Park Amphitheater
25 Ledge Rock Way, Acton, MA 01720
Flo electric vehicle charging station
2 level 2 chargers (4 ports)
(Coming by the end of March)
Acton Fire Department, Station 4
68 Harris Street, Acton, MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
1 level 2 charger (2 ports)
$0.30/kWh
Open 24 hours
Nagog Woods Tennis Courts
100 Nonset Path, Acton, MA 01720
Blink electric vehicle charging station
2 level 2 chargers (4 ports)
$3.60/hour
Open 24 hours
Concord Office Center
36 Knox Trail, Acton, MA 01720
ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station
2 level 2 charger (4 ports)
$0.27/kWh
Open 24 hours
If you want more information about publicly available EV charging stations in and near Acton, check out charging station apps such as ChargeHub, EVGo, or PlugShare.
Greg Jarboe is currently a volunteer reporter for the Acton Exchange and a member of the Acton Finance Committee.
