Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant Adds Another Charging Station

By Carol Meyer

There are more people driving electric vehicles in Hingham every day, according to
Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant Sustainability Coordinator Brianna Bennett. "The number is going up dramatically -- it's at least 400," she said recently.
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While most EV owners in town have home chargers, there are currently three EV charging stations in Hingham -- at Carlson Field, Station Street, and South Shore Country Club.

The Select Board recently approved HMLP's proposal to install another charging station, with two ports, at Town Hall on the Burr Road side -- hopefully some time this summer.

The average overall charging session lasts about 2 hours and 41 minutes, at a cost of
roughly $2.79. So far, 138 unique drivers have used this service out of the 323 charging sessions that have occurred since Oct. 2022. Drivers pay for this service using an EV charging card they can swipe to connect with their credit card, and there are also charging apps.

MassEVIP grants have funded the charging station projects so far. In addition to the
current and planned four stations, HMLP plans to install level 3 chargers at various
locations around town, which charge EVs much faster.

The cost of these additional chargers -- which will be located at Station Street and Lynch Field -- are also covered by a grant. The Hingham Police monitor the charging stations to ensure only EV drivers are parking there to charge their vehicles. This means that someone parked in a designated space who is not charging their car may be ticketed for a $50 fine.