'Range anxiety': EV charging stations out of service on Mass. Pike
BOSTON - For most drivers pulling up to a gas pump is easy enough to get a fill-up. Not so for electric vehicle owners trying to find charging stations, especially along the Massachusetts Turnpike. It's a dead zone where six charging stations at rest stops along the
highway have been idle for some time.
"Being on the Mass Pike with this stretch of road being so long without another charger can be mind boggling," said electric vehicle owner Jarred Rafferty. He is fortunate to own a Tesla, a company which does provide its drivers charging stations along the Pike. But the contract with the company EVgo for other brands has expired and the state will only say it's now accepting new bids through June.
"That would literally break my day if I couldn't charge my car. I rely on it quite a bit," said electric vehicle owner Heidi Klapinsky. She says she builds time into her travels for charging and is also fortunate to own a Tesla.
But with the other large white boxes out of order it creates what AAA Northeast spokesman Mark Schieldrop calls "range anxiety".
"Range anxiety is the feeling that the electric vehicle will run out and there isn't going to be speedy fast charging available for you on your trip." It's a big deterrent he says to drivers purchasing electric vehicles, a major part of the state's plan to reduce emissions in the coming years.
"I think Massachusetts is a pioneer in a lot of things. Extra chargers along the Pike would be an asset to the state itself," said Jarred Rafferty.
For the foreseeable future, electric vehicle owners say there's one rule to follow. "You just have to plan ahead, it's a different way of thinking," said electric vehicle owner Dan Ewing.
EVgo tells WBZ-TV it wanted to upgrade the charging stations but couldn't reach an agreement with the state which actually owns the boxes.
In a statement MassDOT said, "The terms and conditions offered by EVgo could not be entered into directly, therefore an open procurement process was sought."