FIXED CHARGERS OFFLINE ALONG THE PIKE
Some electric vehicle charging stations along the Pike are offline during Memorial Day Weekend, state transportation officials said.
Fixed charging stations in Lee, Natick, Charlton, and Framingham are "currently unavailable," the Department of Transportation said on Friday. Tesla charges at the service plazas in Charlton are still online.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said two mobile battery charges will be placed along I-90 at the Natick and Charlton service plazas, which began on Saturday in the westbound direction and then in the eastbound direction on today and Monday.
"MassDOT continues to work toward establishing a financially sustainable, equitable, and complete network of fast-charging stations to support travelers taking long-distance trips in electric vehicles," the spokesperson said. "The process to build out and maintain a reliable charging network is underway and MassDOT's efforts are complementary to other ongoing federal, state, and local initiatives supporting EV adoption."
SparkCharge said on social media that they had deployed mobile charging stations on Saturday and would do so again on Monday for the eastbound directions in Charlton from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Framingham from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Additional public electric vehicle charging stations are available along Route 128/I-95 in Lexington and Newton. More than 35 charging ports can be found at Park and Ride lots statewide.
More alternative fuel locations in Massachusetts can be found on the U.S. Department of Energy's website.
MassDOT also advises that anyone traveling during the Memorial Day holiday weekend to "expect increased travel volumes … and take public transportation as much as possible to help get to planned destinations."
To ease some of the burden, construction operations on Sumner Tunnel have been paused and the tunnel will remain open through the holiday.
Likewise, the agency says that no work will be performed on roadways through the weekend, though work will resume at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
As for public transportation, the holiday on Monday will shift MBTA and commuter rail service to weekend service schedules. The Charlestown and East Boston ferry service will operate on a weekend schedule, whereas the Hingham/ Hull/Logan to Boston ferry service will operate on a Sunday schedule. The direct Hingham to Boston ferry route will have no service.