For the city of Quincy's many gig drivers who depend on a car to make a living – Uber and Lyft, food delivery and others – the volatile fuel economy adds to their uncertainty.
With the price of gas up more than $4.20 in much of Massachusetts, it's a dicey time for people whose employment relies on wheels. Meanwhile, their gas-fueled cars are some of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions – something the state is legally bound to eviscerate by 2030 and again by 2050.
A partnership between Quincy Asian Resources and Green Energy Consumers Alliance – and nine others like it across the state – could help address both of those harsh realities, bolstered by state funding through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Accelerating Clean Transportation for All (ACT4All) program.
In Quincy, community partners will use the grant money towards an education and outreach campaign around electric transportation for the city's Asian and immigrant populations. More than 30% of Quincy's population is of Asian descent.
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"It is an energy-saving and cost-effective option, especially for the people who have to drive very frequently for their jobs," said Rockey Chan, Quincy Asian Resources' Massachusetts programs and services manager. "We wanted to bring ease of access, ease of information to them. We want to bring awareness to help them see that in the long run, this saves them money."
But for low-income populations, the long view can be hard to take when there isn't much money in the short view.
Anna Vanderspek, electric vehicle program coordinator for Green Energy Consumer Alliance, said clean energy advocates are eagerly awaiting an expected drop in upfront costs for electric vehicles.
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Prices of the rechargeable lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles have come down over the last decade, yet still remain expensive today. But BloombergNEF has projected that gas-fueled cars and electric vehicles will cost about the same as each other in the U.S. by 2026.
"Big picture, what we need to happen is those costs to come down," said Vanderspek. "In the meantime, states like Massachusetts really need to lay the groundwork to take advantage of those prices coming down as they happen. There's a lot of education and awareness that needs to happen so when we reach that point of cost parity, people are ready and get it."
Creating 'equitable and just' clean transportation in Massachusetts
Transportation is currently one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., accounting for 29%. In Massachusetts, transportation contributed 42% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, the latest year with available official emissions data from the state.
Ariel Horowitz, senior program director for innovation at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, considers the grant program's mission as two-fold – creating an "equitable and just" clean transportation market that works to correct historical disparities, while also making progress towards the state's legally binding climate goals for 2030 and 2050.
Funded by the state's Department of Energy Resources, a MOR-EV program currently provides rebates up to $2,500 for Massachusetts residents who purchase or lease eligible electric vehicles and motorcycles. The rebate program alone, though, isn't reaching everyone.
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"We've had a lot of success growing electric vehicles fueled by the MOR-EV rebate program," Horowitz said, "but we can also see geographically where that rebate is getting taken up the most, and not surprisingly, we're talking about areas that are more affluent, whiter and with more single-family homes. We need affluent consumers to have access to electric vehicles, and we also need lower-income consumers to have access to electric vehicles."
As is the case with most new technology, Vanderspek said many of those who have purchased electric vehicles thus far are "classic early adopters" – people who are usually ahead of the curve in trying out any new tech.
Quincy Asian community outreach about electric transportation
For many clients of Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. or QARI, language may be a barrier to understanding electric transportation as an option.
With Boston- and Providence-based partner Green Energy Consumers Alliance, the nonprofit – dubbed as "the go-to center for Asian and immigrant residents of Quincy" – will provide education opportunities through events, festivals, test-drives and social media.
"The topic is newer for QARI," said Emily Canner, director of operations and strategic relations. "We haven't done a whole lot of climate- or clean energy-related initiatives. But we've heard there's definitely a lot more interest in cleaner programs and climate justice. And I think the timing of this (grant), it made sense."
In Quincy, Chan said climate change, the COVID pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine are combining to affect clients who are gig drivers – from the uncertain economy over the last two years, to their livelihoods that are so affected by the price of gas.
"The economics, the finances in regards to fuel, it impacts them," Chan said.
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Green Energy Consumers Alliance is "laser-focused" on the state's 2030 goals, said Vanderspek, which require a 50% economy-wide reduction in emissions – and between 750,000 and 1 million of new car sales being electric vehicles to reach that.
The alliance's "Drive Green" education program currently hosts webinars, coffee hours and in-person events for consumers interested in electric vehicles. The most common questions and concerns, Vanderspek said, are the upfront costs and a connotation of electric vehicles as "luxury," how far vehicles can go and how to charge.
In terms of their partnership with QARI, Vanderspek noted a synchronicity in plans to build a new MBTA bus depot in Quincy that will service an increasing electric fleet, representing an opportunity to broaden their initiative's conversation and encourage community participation.
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Canner sees the collaborative occasion as one not just to get more people using electric transportation, but also to introduce the "huge workforce opportunity" that lies ahead in Massachusetts, as more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power come online.
Worcester's low-income residents to get e-bikes
One hundred electric bikes for 100 Worcester residents – that's the gist of the grant partnership between MassBike, the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commissionand community-based organizations.
Since Chinese bikeshare company ofo pulled the plug on its 400 bikes in the city in 2017, Faye Rhault, assistant transportation planner for the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, said Worcester is now an outlier. It's one of the only major metro areas without a robust bike-share program or other alternative means of transportation outside of public transit.
"We'd like to understand how bringing e-bikes into Worcester can reduce carbon emissions from vehicle traffic," she said. "The city gets very congested."
Using the ACT4All money, the participating organizations will identify high-need populations in the city and deploy 100 electric bikes to 100 selected residents. During a two-year study, participants will be asked to report information like their major destinations and where they're going day-to-day for data collection purposes. When the study ends, they can keep the bikes.
"We're trying to put applications out in as many languages as we can," said Rhault.
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Helping the agencies reach residents are the Southeast Asian Coalition, Centro, MassHire Central Career Center, Worcester Community Action Council, and Worcester REACH.
Rhault cited a wide range of residents who may be interested in participating – people who work at local stores, college students who can't afford a car, older adults who don't want to drive anymore, and those who rely on public or on-demand transportation services.
There are also "cargo" electric bikes, she said, which might interest parents who take children to and from school.
Last year, MassBike held an e-bike demo day at Hale Reservation in Westwood for stakeholders and decision makers. The organization is supporting legislation that would create a statewide standard to regulate low-speed electric bicycles the same as manual bicycles
, rather than motor vehicles.
Data gathered from the study by Rhault's organization will ultimately go towards planning next steps and future programs for e-bikes across Central Massachusetts. She hopes Worcester specifically will be enticed to continue a similar program and include more bicycle facilities in its infrastructure planning.
E-bike rebate program on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard
Cape Light Compact's grant-funded approach will measure successes and barriers of a point-of-sale electric bike rebate program, and whether it could potentially work in more communities or possibly statewide.
With help from environmental consultant Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Cape Light Compact will use nearly $500,000 in ACT4All grant money to reach low-income residents – those making 60% or less of the median area income – with major discounts on e-bikes and accessories.
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The compact, an intergovernmental energy organization, is operated by 21 towns on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Dukes County, and serves about 205,000 consumers.
"We do have a good biking trail network," Compact Administrator Maggie Downey said, "and we do have a substantial year-round income eligible population. We think this is pretty timely for the Cape and Vineyard."
Income-eligible customers interested in an e-bike will see 75% of the cost covered by ACT4All funding. Customers will also receive a helmet, lock, pump and $50 coupon. Downey said they're currently establishing partnerships with local bike shops that want to participate, and once customers are approved for the program through an application process, they can go to the bike shop of their choosing.
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Of the climate crisis, Downey said "there is no silver bullet solution," demonstrated by the array of initiatives receiving ACT4All funding.
"It is going to take a lot of approaches that are unique and tailored to our local communities," she said. "This is just another tool in our toolbox to address the transportation side of things."
Find a list of all ACT4All grantees here.