The City of Easthampton, is located in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. As a designated Green Community, the City has developed different sustainability plans and efforts throughout the years, including partnering with MoveEV to create a dashboard tracking carbon impact of municipal plus participating municipal employees vehicles. From this tracking, the City will publish a decarbonizationation plan focused on the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, Easthampton has eight public charging stations that residents can use, and is focused on transitioning its fleet vehicles to electric by 2030.
Recently, the city purchased two 2022 Tesla Model Y’s for its Police Department fleet, replacing its gas-powered Ford Interceptor Utility vehicles. This switch will reduce gasoline usage by 1,858 gallons per year, saving the city about $5,600 on annual gasoline costs.
Knowing climate change affects us all regardless of economic status, Easthampton aims to have a robust EV purchasing program for residents who fall under 80% of the area’s median-income. This program will allow residents to take advantage of incentives without being penalized, complimenting economic stability in the region.
“Transportation accounts for a quarter of Easthampton’s carbon emissions. Decarbonizing the city’s fleet is a good beginning, but true reduction comes with residents switching to electric cars. Serving the public good, cities have a responsibility to create easy pathways for households to ‘go electric’”
– Nicole LaChapelle,
City of Easthampton Mayor