Addressing a Severe EV Charging Shortage, Town of Chatham, Rivermoor Energy, and Weston & Sampson Complete New Public Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Station

Rhea-AI Summary

Chatham, Massachusetts is addressing its severe EV charging shortage with the completion of its first fully public EV charging station at the Eldredge Public Parking Lot. The project, set to open on March 25, 2025, is a collaboration between the Town of Chatham, Rivermoor Energy, and Weston & Sampson.

The facility features eight new FLO chargers: four Level 3 DC fast chargers and four Level 2 chargers, serving both local community members and visitors. This development is particularly significant as Chatham had no fast charging public EV chargers until 2024, despite Cape Cod having 230,000 year-round residents and attracting 5.5 million annual visitors.

The project aims to support local businesses while addressing a key barrier to EV adoption, as 40% of drivers cite insufficient charging stations as their main concern. The initiative also aligns with Massachusetts' environmental goals, considering that transportation accounts for 38% of the Commonwealth's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Positive

• First public fast-charging station in a high-traffic tourist area with 5.5M annual visitors
• Strategic location on Main Street supporting local business revenue
• Infrastructure expansion addressing critical market demand
• Partnership with major utility Eversource providing critical infrastructure support

Negative

• Late market entry with no fast charging available until 2024
• initial capacity with only 8 total charging stations for large visitor population

Eldredge Garage Parking Lot Project Delivers Fast Charging to Main Street in Chatham, MA, Supporting Local Businesses

CHATHAM, Mass. & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rivermoor Energy, an industry-leading provider of clean energy development solutions for commercial and government customers, and Weston & Sampson, one of New England’s leading engineering, construction, and professional services firms, in partnership with Eversource and the Town of Chatham, announces the completion of the first fully publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) combined fast charging plus conventional charging station project in Chatham, Massachusetts at the Eldredge Public Parking Lot on 365 Main Street.

Located on the historic Eldredge Garage site, the new EV charging station will fully open for charging to locals and visitors on March 25, 2025, delivering significant economic and environmental benefits to Chatham and Cape Cod. The state-of-the-art, public access facility includes eight new EV chargers provided by FLO – four Level 3 DC fast chargers and four Level 2 chargers – for thirty-minute to multi-hour charging for local community members, Main Street business owners, employees, and visitors.

“The activation of EV charging stations at the Eldredge Garage Visitor Center is a significant step forward in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Jill Goldsmith, Town Manager, Chatham. “By making it easier for everyone to own and operate EVs, we can help to reduce the number of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles on our roads, which will result in cleaner air and a healthier environment for all of us. I would like to thank all our partners who have helped make this project a reality.”

Until 2024, Chatham had no fast charging public EV chargers, despite the fact that more than 230,000 people call Cape Cod home year-round and the region welcomes over 5.5 million visitors each year. Additionally, 4 in 10 drivers state that their primary objection to purchasing an EV is that there are too few charging stations to provide confidence for longer car trips to attractive locations such as Chatham.

“The development of new charging stations at the Eldredge Garage site and across Massachusetts is pivotal to increasing EV adoption,” said John H. Tourtelotte, Founder and Managing Director of Rivermoor Energy. “With the redevelopment of this local landmark, the Town of Chatham is building on its rich history, transforming a classic American auto service station and advancing it into an era of electrified transportation, innovation, and environmental stewardship. We’re building critical infrastructure for EV drivers who are enjoying Chatham’s natural resources and supporting its local businesses.”

“Transportation accounts for the largest portion of total greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, 38% of the Commonwealth’s total,” said Johanna D. Hall, CEM, Senior Team Leader at Weston & Sampson. “But by increasing access to crucial and scarce public EV fast charging and conventional charging, we are breaking down barriers to entry for electric drivers and encouraging new customers to park, charge, and explore Chatham’s wonderful Main Street by foot. This will reduce air pollution and vehicle congestion and increase revenue for local businesses and restaurants. It’s a win-win for the environment and local small businesses.”

“Our expansion into Chatham is part of FLO’s ongoing commitment to building a comprehensive, reliable charging network that supports sustainable transportation across the region,” said Thomas Koetje, Territory Sales Director at FLO. “Through our collaboration with Rivermoor Energy, Weston & Sampson, and the Town of Chatham, we’re ensuring Cape Cod has a robust, easy-to-use EV charging network to meet growing demand.”

“Eversource is proud to support the Town of Chatham in creating an example of access to clean transportation for other communities, on Cape Cod and across the Commonwealth, to follow,” said Tilak Subrahmanian, Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility, Eversource. “Through close collaboration with our industry partners and local stakeholders, Eversource has helped bring this groundbreaking project to life, providing critical infrastructure through our Make Ready program to accelerate EV adoption for Chatham residents and visitors that supports their commitment to sustainable energy."

The new EV charging stations at the Eldredge Public Parking Lot on 365 Main Street are now live and available to the public. For more information on the project, visit https://www.chatham-ma.gov/ and http://bit.ly/41IX53u.

About the Town of Chatham, MA

Incorporated in 1712, Chatham is located on the elbow of Cape Cod, halfway between Falmouth and Provincetown. Chatham’s seaside community of 6,700 year-round residents offers a variety of exciting outdoor, cultural, and historical activities as well as all of the convenient services for comfortable daily living.

About Rivermoor Energy

Rivermoor Energy is an industry-leading provider of clean energy development solutions for corporate, commercial, utility, government, higher-education and non-profit institutional customers. Established in 2008, and based in Boston, Rivermoor delivers comprehensive energy strategy, planning, project development, and financing solutions to enable our customers to meet their EV charging, solar energy, energy storage and energy resilience goals. From successfully implementing EV charging solutions in urban and rural areas, to complementing charging solutions with solar canopies and rooftops, Rivermoor is a trusted partner committed to meeting our customers’ clean energy needs. For more information, please visit www.rivermoorenergy.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Weston & Sampson

Weston & Sampson, founded in 1899, and headquartered in Reading, MA, is a privately held, employee-owned firm with 1,000 professionals in over twenty offices along the East Coast. For more than a century, we have been improving communities by infusing innovation and reliability into every project. Our goal is to help clients protect, improve, and sustain the natural and built environment. Included in our wide range of interdisciplinary services are environmental site investigations, geotechnical engineering, climate resiliency design, EV charging implementation, landscape architecture, urban and environmental planning, and more. For more information, please visit www.westonsampson.com, or visit our LinkedIn and Instagram.

About FLO

FLO is a leading North American electric vehicle (EV) charging network operator and a smart charging solutions provider. We help to overcome climate change and accelerate EV adoption through a vertically integrated business model and by delivering EV drivers the best charging experience from curbside to countryside. Every month, we enable more than 2 million charging events thanks to over 130,000 fast and level 2 EV charging stations deployed at public, private and residential locations. FLO operates its network across North America with facilities in Michigan and Quebec. To learn more about what “EV charging done right™” means to us, visit https://www.flo.com.

About Eversource

Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is recognized as the #1 U.S. utility on TIME’s List of World’s Best Companies for 2024. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 1.8 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.47 million electric customers in 140 communities, 639,000 gas customers in 117 communities, and 11,500 water customers in five communities. Eversource harnesses the commitment of more than 10,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325751753/en/

Media Contact:

Kayla Fedorowicz

Greenough Communications on behalf of Rivermoor Energy

kfedorowicz@greenoughagency.com

Source: Rivermoor Energy

FAQ

When will the new EV charging station in Chatham, MA open to the public?

The EV charging station at Eldredge Public Parking Lot will fully open for charging on March 25, 2025.

How many EV charging stations are being installed at the Eldredge Garage location?

Eight charging stations are being installed: four Level 3 DC fast chargers and four Level 2 chargers.

What percentage of Massachusetts' greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation?

Transportation accounts for 38% of Massachusetts' total greenhouse gas emissions.

How many visitors does Cape Cod receive annually who could benefit from these charging stations?

Cape Cod welcomes over 5.5 million visitors annually, in addition to serving 230,000 year-round residents.

What percentage of drivers cite lack of charging stations as their main concern for not buying EVs?

40% of drivers state that insufficient charging stations are their primary objection to purchasing an EV.