Volkswagen Trust Funded Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Now Open to the Public at the Monadnock Food Co-Op in Keene

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the designated lead agency for the NH Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust (NH VW Trust), is pleased to announce the grand opening of the first NH VW Trust funded electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at the Monadnock Food Co-op (Co-op) in Keene, NH. 

“The NH VW Trust funds programs and projects that advance clean transportation options that will reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality. NHDES is pleased to steward NH’s VW Trust funding to expand access to EV charging infrastructure for those who live, work, and recreate in our great state,” said Adam Crepeau, NHDES Assistant Commissioner.  

In NH, transportation is the largest source of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. EV’s are a solution as they result in far fewer emissions than their gas and diesel counterparts. The buildout of EV charging infrastructure will enable EV adoption by NH residents and also support travel and tourism in the state and region. 

Now EV drivers can conveniently travel into the Monadnock region and access charging. The site hosts two (2) Direct Current Fast Charging stations and one (1) dual-port Level 2 charging station, altogether capable of charging multiple EVs at once while drivers take advantage of shopping and dining in the area. 

"We are thrilled to bring electric vehicle charging stations to the Monadnock Food Co-op. We believe our new fast charging stations will be a great convenience for those doing some shopping or picking up lunch or dinner. We are excited to support the transition to cleaner vehicles," said Michael Faber, General Manager, Monadnock Food Co-op. 

In January 2023, the NH Governor and Executive Council (G&C) approved a grant agreement between NHDES and the Monadnock Community Market Cooperative for up to $308,710 in funding towards eligible project costs. ReVision Energy, a New England based clean energy contracting company, was contracted by the Co-op to handle engineering and construction services for these public EV charging stations. 

"At ReVision Energy, we take pride in our commitment to expand access and open the doors for everyone to participate in the transition to electrified transportation -- as well as being fun to drive, EVs cost significantly less to operate. The Monadnock Food Co-op is the perfect location for this charging station given that it’s a beloved destination in the region and for our aligned missions of creating a more sustainable future,” said James Penfold, Director of eMobility of ReVision Energy.

The project benefited from community support and other contributions. The Monadnock Sustainability Hub (MSH) provided significant technical support during the application process and additional funding through community crowdsourcing to help make the project possible. Additionally, Eversource, the Co-Op’s electric utility, installed the high-voltage electrical infrastructure through their $2.1 million NH Make Ready program.

“The Monadnock Sustainability Hub pitched this project to the Co-op back in 2019 and we’re excited to see the first fast chargers in the region go online. They represent a true collaborative effort by many stakeholders, including local donors who contributed critical matching funds. As we make charging readily available, more Monadnock drivers will be able to switch to clean, electric vehicles,” said Dori Drachman, Chair, MSH Board.  

“This project at Monadnock Food Co-op is a crucial step forward in encouraging greater adoption of electric vehicles, supporting New Hampshire’s travel and tourism industry, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region,” said Tilak Subrahmanian, Eversource Vice President for Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility. “I am extremely pleased that Eversource was able to support this effort in partnership with NHDES through the NH VW Trust. We look to continue this partnership and enable more EV fast-charging stations at public sites across New Hampshire.”

Members of the press joined NHDES, the Co-op, and project partners who gathered for a ribbon cutting/media event on Friday, March 15 at the Monadnock Food Co-op. State and local officials, EV owners, and clean energy organizations were onsite to discuss the project, hand out educational brochures and answer questions. 

A broader public celebration will be held at the Co-op on April 20th from noon to 4:00 PM. Project partners will host a Drive Electric Expo at Earth Festival 2024 concurrent with other festival activities along Railroad Street. Local owners of Electric Vehicles (EVs), including Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), will be onsite as part of an EV show and tell. 

About the Project Partners:

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

The mission of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is to help sustain a high quality of life for all citizens by protecting and restoring the environment and public health in New Hampshire. The protection and wise management of the state’s environment are the main goals of the agency. Learn more about our programs and projects at www.des.nh.gov. 

Monadnock Food Co-op

Monadnock Food Co-op is a cooperatively owned grocery store providing a diverse selection of local, organic, and natural foods to the Monadnock Region. The Co-op is located at 34 Cypress Street in Keene, off Main Street via Eagle Court. Join us at www.monadnockfood.coop.

ReVision Energy

ReVision Energy is a 100% employee-owned solar company with offices in Brentwood and Enfield, New Hampshire, South Portland and Montville, Maine; and North Andover Massachusetts; and following their recent acquisition of Sunbug Solar, also Westfield Massachusetts. With over 400 employee co-owners, 15,000 installations, and 20 years of experience, ReVision is New England’s leading full-service renewable energy contracting company. ReVision is a Certified B Corp and longtime member of Amicus Solar Cooperative with a mission to make life better by building our just and equitable electric future. Learn more at ReVisionEnergy.com.

Eversource 

Eversource is New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, serving nearly 535,000 homes and businesses in 211 cities and towns, and also supplies water to approximately 10,300 homes and businesses in eight communities. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.

Monadnock Sustainability Hub

The Monadnock Sustainability Hub is the region’s catalyst for climate solutions, collaborating with stakeholders across southwest NH on projects that reduce climate pollution and move us toward 100% clean energy use. The Hub also hold annual events including the Drive Electric Expo at the Coop’s Earth Festival and the Monadnock Clean Energy Fair.

Background information for reference:

Funding for this project comes from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust, which resulted from a settlement by VW in response to a lawsuit from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) had filed a complaint against Volkswagen alleging violations of the Clean Air Act. The complaint claimed that approximately 580,000 model year 2009 to 2016 diesel vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen Group of America Inc. and its subsidiaries contained “defeat devices” in the form of computer software designed to cheat on federal emissions tests. This enabled the vehicles to emit levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) as high as 40 times the federal standard without detection by the vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostic system, a system that numerous states, including New Hampshire, rely upon to detect and require repairs on vehicles exceeding federal emission standards.

In October 2017, the US DOJ and VW signed a $15 billion settlement, a portion of which – $2.9 billion – is being held in an Environmental Mitigation Trust and shared among Beneficiary U.S. states and tribes, based on the number of violating vehicles registered in each. New Hampshire was allocated a Trust share of $30,914,841 and has approved over $14 million for projects to date. 

In 2022, NHDES released a funding opportunity in the form of a Request For Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified applicants to install and operate DCFC at sites on nine specified travel corridors: US-3, US-2, Route 16, US-302, I-93, I-89, Route 11/103, Route 9/202, and Route 101. In response to the RFP, NHDES received 30 applications totaling 53 proposed options. NHDES determined that 43 of the proposed options - representing 35 sites across 25 NH towns and cities - met the minimum qualifications of the RFP and were subsequently advanced to a scoring phase. The proposals were then formally evaluated by a Scoring Committee comprised of representatives of the NH Departments of Energy, Transportation and Environmental Services. To date, grant agreements for six sites have been approved by G&C, with more sites in the contract negotiation phase.

The intent is to create a backbone of publicly accessible charging locations to enable north/south and east/west travel for EV drivers visiting and residing in NH. Each site will host DCFC infrastructure that provides a minimum of 50 kilowatts of power to quickly charge an EV battery. DCFC is the highest level of charging, capable of providing all-electric vehicles with up to 80 percent charge in just 20 minutes, depending upon the size of the battery.  

Visit the NHDES Volkswagen Mitigation Trust webpage for more information: https://www.des.nh.gov/business-and-community/loans-and-grants/volkswagen-mitigation-trust.

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