NORTHAMPTON — Patrick Rondeau used to rely heavily on a home charging station to power his hybrid car.
Now, the general manager at Valley Solar and his coworkers can fully charge their hybrid vehicles before leaving the office for the day, thanks to an electric charging station installed at the company’s Florence office in May.
Valley Solar is the energy division of Valley Home Improvement, which established the two-car electric vehicle charging station with financial assistance from the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program: Workplace Charging. The state program was established by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
Through the program, MassDEP intends to reduce carbon emissions by providing incentives for employers to establish Level 1 or 2 charging stations at their workplaces, with a goal of moving people away from traditional petroleum-fueled vehicles.
This goal resonated with staff at Valley Home Improvement. Louise Reardon, operations manager at Valley Solar, called the station “part of our march forward to encourage the use and uptake of electric vehicles and electric facilities full stop in order to reduce our carbon footprint and to be part of the solution.”
Employers participating in the program have 50 percent of hardware costs of up to $25,000 provided to them by MassDEP, with some variations for maximum funding, so long as they use Level 1 or 2 stations that are compatible with EVs produced by multiple manufacturers.
The stations are categorized by levels based on how long it takes to charge a vehicle. Valley Home Improvement houses a Level 2 EV Charging station, which comes with a 1.5- to 7-hour charge time. According to MassDEP, this type of station is suitable for indoor or outdoor locations where cars will likely park for just a few hours at a time, making it ideal for public charging networks.
Level 1 charging stations are better suited for home environments where car owners can charge their vehicles overnight.
In accordance with the program guidelines, Reardon said that Valley Home Improvement purchased its unit for $3,437.50 and received $1,218.75 back from the state.
At the company, three employees drive hybrid cars, which use both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor to power the vehicles.
In addition to providing environmental benefits, Reardon said that the charging station boosts employee satisfaction, as the station provides employees with a free and convenient space to charge their vehicles during the workday.
Rondeau has been driving a hybrid for about one year and finds the vehicle to be a substantial improvement from his old petroleum-fueled car.
“There’s nothing quite like owning something to understand its better,” Rondeau said, adding that he visits the gas pump dramatically less often with his hybrid car.
Rondeau has both a Level 1 and Level 2 charger at his home, but said that having the charging station at his workplace is “a real game-changer.”
“It’s a terrific thing to have,” Reardon said. “We have three guys here with EVs, and they just drive straight on in and plug in, and it works.”
In order to qualify for funding, employers must be located in a non-residential place of business within the state and have at least 15 employees.
Under the program, MassDEP spokesman Ed Coletta said that 230 employers have installed workplace charging stations as of Sept. 30, which has led to the installation of 523 EV charging stations across the state.
“If EVs are actually going to be a common mode of transport and people start to really believe in it, they do need to have a place to charge,” Reardon said. “So the more companies that can pick this up as an employee benefit, it’s a real support to this movement.”
She continued, “Whatever your opinion of climate change is, the science tells us we need to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.