Assessment
Decarbonizing the transportation sector requires a focus on vehicle electrification while enhancing alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. Tracking with a nationwide trend, the rate of Massachusetts’ EV sales growth for much of 2024 slowed, jeopardizing the transportation sector’s 2025 decarbonization targets. While light-duty EV sales growth jumped nearly 50% in 2023, EV sales in 2024 were only slightly above 2023 rather than continuing to increase. Record sales in November and December – nearly 11,000 newly registered vehicles – provide an encouraging sign for 2025. Massachusetts will exceed the 2025 target for EVs on the road if these trends continue. Public charging port installations jumped nearly 30 percent since last year’s reporting. Meeting current 2025 and 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan (CECP) installation targets requires drastically accelerating the pace of installations. Incentives such as the Commonwealth’s Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program and regulations like Advanced Clean Cars II are key policy drivers for increased EV adoption, and the Commonwealth supports several programs for deploying adequate public charging infrastructure. Total Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) decreased in 2022 but rebounded in 2023, the most recent year with complete data. The state remains below 2025 targets. Continued progress building housing near public transportation, improving the performance of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and regional transit agencies, and historic investments in multimodal infrastructure and technologies will be critical to meeting VMT targets.
| Metrics | 2023 Report Value | 2024 Report Value | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of registered electric light-duty and medium-/heavy-duty vehicles[1] | There were 68,815 battery electric vehicles (BEV) or plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicles (PHEV) on the road as of 12/31/2022 and 103,434 on the road as of 12/31/2023. There were 54 electric medium-/heavy-duty vehicles on the road as of 12/31/2022 and 98 as of 12/31/2023. | There are 139,085 BEV or PHEV light-duty vehicles on the road as of 12/31/2024. 35,651 additional BEV or PHEV light-duty vehicles were registered in 2024.
Of that total, 203 additional vehicles were registered in 2024. | CECP modeling projected about 150,000 EVs on the road by end of 2024. The 2025/2030 CECP states a goal of 200,000 total EVs on the road by 2025 and 900,000 by 2030. |
| Number of installed electric vehicle public charging ports[2] | There were 6,767 installed electric vehicle public charging ports as of 12/31/2023. | There were 8,791 installed electric vehicle public charging ports as of 12/31/2024. In 2024, 2,024 charger ports were installed. | The 2025/2030 CECP estimates the need for 15,000 public charging station ports by 2025 and 75,000 by 2030.[3] |
| VMT for light-duty and medium-/heavy-duty vehicles[4] | Light-duty vehicles travelled 55,229 million miles in 2021. Medium-/heavy-duty vehicles travelled 3,887 million miles in 2021. | Light-duty vehicles travelled 53,321 million miles in 2022 and 57,191 million miles in 2023 Medium-/heavy-duty vehicles travelled 3,626 million miles in 2022 and 3,557 million miles in 2023. | CECP modeling projects total light-duty VMT to increase to about 57,900 million miles travelled in 2025 and about 59,100 million in 2030 even while per household VMT decreases over the same period. CECP modeling projects total medium-/heavy-duty VMT at about 3,400 million miles travelled in 2025 and about 3,500 million in 2030. |
[1] MassDOT Vehicles Census
[2] DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
[3] The charging port target is based on the CECP, but more up to date sources suggest that that the CECP may overestimate the number of public chargers needed to support vehicle electrification. EEA is revisiting these targets as a part of the EVICC analysis
[4] Data from the Federal Highway Statistics Series is reported on a roughly 2-year time lag.
Challenges
- Macroeconomic forces including supply chain costs, interest rates and tariffs can decrease EV availability and uptake.
- Medium- and heavy-duty fleets face specific obstacles to electrification, including greater range of travel, high up-front costs, access to EV-trained technicians, and a much larger impact on the grid than light-duty personal vehicles.
- EV charger availability, reliability, pricing transparency, and adaptability to different vehicle types are barriers to EV adoption. Drivers who rely on on-street parking, depend on landlord or homeowner association approval, or live in rural areas with less dense demand also face challenges.
- Electric grid capacity constraints continue to be a barrier for installing charging infrastructure, and considerable investments in electric infrastructure will be needed to accommodate EV charging needs.
- Despite declining costs relative to gas-powered cars and a growing availability of mid-priced models, EVs remain more costly to purchase without additional incentives. This continues to pose the greatest barrier for low-income drivers.
- While charging an EV in Massachusetts is cheaper than fueling an internal combustion engine vehicle, relatively high electric rates make the switch to electric vehicles less cost-effective for drivers here than in other states. Discounts are available for low-income households across the state to reduce financial burdens.
- Complex construction and procurement requirements slow the acquisition of electric vehicles and sufficient charging equipment for state and municipal fleets.
- Access to safe and reliable public transportation and other options across the state continue to be essential for shifting away from single-occupancy vehicle use.
How we are meeting this moment
- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is improving access to Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) stations along major highway corridors. In May 2024, MassDOT selected four companies to install stations through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, and construction on the first sites began in fall 2024. MassDOT also replaced inoperable DCFCs at 6 Massachusetts Turnpike (MassPike) Service Plazas and deployed 7 DCFC stations totaling 14 ports at other Service Plazas in Bridgewater, Greenfield, and Lexington.
- The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council (EVICC) invested $50 million to expand curbside charging, support fleet and transportation network companies’ electrification, manage the impact of charging infrastructure on the electric grid through bidirectional charging, and support charging infrastructure investments for state fleets. The EVICC is analyzing geographic locations and types of EV chargers needed to meet climate goals as well as areas where large electric infrastructure upgrades will be needed to accommodate charging.
- Department of Energy Resources (DOER)’s MOR-EV rebate updates - including point-of-sale rebates, increased Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) price cap, and additional rebates for used electric vehicles, internal combustion engine vehicle trade-ins, and low-income households – yielded over 13,800 rebates from January through September 2024. This represents 11% more than in all of 2023 and 268% more than in all of 2022.
- The Operational Services Division (OSD) is working on increasing EV charging infrastructure vendors and offerings available through Statewide Contract.
- The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded MassDOT and the MBTA a $14.4 million Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant to install EV charging equipment at state-owned Park and Ride properties and MBTA station parking lots. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) received a $1.2 million CFI grant to install publicly accessible EV chargers at state parks across the Commonwealth.
- In January 2025, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $8 billion investment over 10 years into transportation and transit infrastructure that will restore, repair, improve resilience, support policy priorities, and deliver on modern infrastructure across the state. This investment was informed by recommendations from the Governor’s Transportation Funding Task Force to stabilize, enhance and transform how the state finances transportation.
- In December 2024, the MBTA successfully completed the Track Improvement Program, a major track repair and replacement initiative to eliminate all speed restrictions on the rapid transit system, bring all tracks into a five-year state of good repair, and enhance safety, reliability and train speeds.
- In December 2024, MBTA launched the first phase of the Bus Network Redesign (BNR) to improve reliability, frequency and connectivity throughout the Boston region. Route changes are leading to a 60 percent increase in service frequency, with new Frequent Bus Routes benefiting communities across Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Malden, Somerville, Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, and East Boston.
- In August 2024, the Administration rolled out a $54 million agreement to bring battery-electric train service to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line by 2028.
- The MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces Program awarded $6.5 million for 30 projects and the Energy and Environmental Affairs EEA Mass Trails Grants awarded $12 million for 65 projects to continue to enhance walking and biking alternatives to automotive trips.
- The Governor’s Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience (OCIR) is working with EEA, DOER, and Office of Vehicle Management (OVM) to support development of long-term fleet electrification plans for over 90 state agencies, campus and authority fleets by the end of Fiscal Year 2025.
- The Commonwealth is working with the electric distribution companies to expand existing managed charging programs through the state to decrease the need for additional grid infrastructure and total amount of generation capacity needed to meet demand associated with the Commonwealth’s electrification commitments.
- The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) awarded $20 million to electrify nearly 200 school buses and support fleet charging stations across 16 school districts through the Accelerating Clean Transportation (ACT) School Bus Fleet Deployment program, provided free electrification advisory services to 50 commercial fleets and six school bus fleets in 2024 through the Massachusetts Fleet and ACT School Bus Advisor Programs, and awarded $11 million across 11 projects through ACT4All 2, an equity-focused program increasing access to clean transportation for overburdened and under-resourced populations.