Imagine having dozens of EV charging spots on the Mass. Pike. It could happen next year — really.

Boston Globe

22-07-2025

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'We're committed to it,' Bob Etchingham, executive chair and cofounder of Applegreen, said in an interview. 'Our aim is to deploy those chargers ahead of demand, so that people will automatically think of the plazas as the place to go when they're on a journey and they need to charge.'
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The charger installations are a rare positive development in 2025 for the state's plans to address climate change amid the Trump administration's
'At a time when we're seeing so many federal rollbacks in the clean transportation space, it's great to see a forward-thinking commitment on EV charging at service plazas,' said Anna Vanderspek, EV program director at Boston nonprofit Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Adding more charging at the rest stops 'will encourage more people to make the switch to less polluting electric cars, cleaning up our air,' she added.
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Applegreen aims to install eight to 12 fast-charger ports at every rest stop, depending on driver demand and available electricity connections, Eugene Moore, chief executive of Applegreen Electric, the company's charging subsidiary, said. Currently, the state has a total of 20 ports (that can charge any EV) at 10 of its rest stops on the Pike and other highways. Tesla operates a total of 32 ports at four rest stops (though most can only be used by Tesla EVs).
And Applegreen's new equipment will charge at rates of 150 to 400 kilowatts, three to eight times faster than the state's current chargers. Modern EVs can add hundreds of miles of range in about 15 minutes on the fastest type of charger.
Applegreen Electric already operates more than 1,325 charging ports in the US and Europe, including on the New York State Thruway and New Jersey Turnpike. That means the company won't need an outside company to operate or repair its equipment, a major problem with the original chargers installed at the Pike rest stops.
Massachusetts was initially ahead of the curve, deploying EV chargers at six rest stops on the Mass Turnpike in 2017. But the gear broke down frequently and
Lawmakers have been pushing the Department of Transportation
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Applegreen said it will have staff at the rest stops available to help drivers using the EV chargers. Employees will be available to show inexperienced EV drivers how to use the chargers and to coordinate waiting cars at busy times, for example. 'The mere fact that we have a human being that you can talk to is a big difference, a big advantage that we have,' Etchingham said.
Currently installed Tesla Superchargers at rest stops on the Pike in Charlton and on Route 128 in Newton and Lexington will remain in place for the foreseeable future, Applegreen officials said. Some Tesla drivers were upset when
In Massachusetts, 'the Tesla chargers on the four sites that they're on will stay,' Moore said.
Tesla's contract to operate the four rest-stop charging stations expires in about a year but the EV company has two options to extend for five years each, according to MassDOT. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Aaron Pressman can be reached at