A new Zipcar pilot pairs shared EVs with off-grid solar charging

Four Greater Boston locations are testing a new way to bring shared electric vehicles to neighborhoods that usually don't have them. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council has set up CommunityEV Carshare in downtown Framingham, at the Chelsea Housing Authority, the Boston Housing Authority, and in downtown Quincy, using Zipcar EVs paired with solar chargers that don't connect to the power grid. Members can reserve a car for $11 to $13 an hour at a discounted rate for eligible users.

The chargers, made by Beam Global, generate and store their own solar power, so installing them doesn't require the trenching, wiring, or construction that a typical charging station needs. Each unit can charge two vehicles at once and produce enough power for up to 265 miles of driving a day, with no electricity cost per kilowatt-hour and no extra strain on the local grid. That fits well with how these cars actually get used: most household vehicles sit parked about 95% of the time, and the typical trip in Zipcar's Boston EV fleet is only about 25 miles, leaving plenty of downtime for the chargers to refill.

This is a pilot program, not a home upgrade, so it doesn't directly affect your own equipment or bills. But it points to a way EV charging could show up faster in places that don't have it today, since off-grid solar chargers skip the usual utility hookups. Transportation is Massachusetts' largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the state is aiming for net-zero by 2050. If the pilot works, the model could expand to other communities.