Greater Blue Hill and Hancock County Grant Program
ACTT continues to accept applications for our EV Charging Station Grant Program – awards of up to $5,000 to support your installation of a public Level 2 station in the Hancock County and Greater Blue Hill area .
Quick links:
Please read our Terms and Conditions here before filling out the Application.
Fill out our easy application here.
Why support EVs? We all want cleaner air and less reliance on fossil fuels. Instead of using gas or diesel, EVs use Maine’s clean electricity. All-electric EVs produce no greenhouse gas emissions. The more public EV charging stations we have in the region, the more we encourage EV use by Mainers as well as visitors from out of State, and the more we are doing to lessen the impact of climate change.
EV CHARGING STATION BASICS (LEVEL TWO):
Level 2 chargers can provide about 25 miles of range per hour of charging, depending on EV battery size.
Level 2 chargers use 240V power and supply at least 7.2kW charging power for EVs.
Each Level 2 charger requires at least a 40A circuit breaker.
Basic Level 2 chargers: “Free to the user.” Cost to the host site is the cost of the electricity used by EVs to charge; there is no annual network fee to operate.
Networked Level 2 chargers: Allow the host site to set a price for use, usually set to cover the cost of electricity used by EVs charging up; networked chargers require an annual “network” fee to be paid by the host site.
Installation cost of either basic or networked chargers will vary depending on the the location, power source, specific model and mounting options. Generally, any Level 2 charger can be either wall mounted or pedestal mounted to best serve the designated EV parking spaces.
EXAMPLES OF ACTT’s PUBLIC EV CHARGING STATIONS IN DOWNEAST MAINE:
(CHARGING STATIONS IMPLEMENTED BY ACTT PROVIDING 7.7KW MAX OUTPUT TO EACH J1772 “UNIVERSAL” CHARGING CONNECTOR)
BASIC NON-NETWORKED OUTDOOR-RATED LEVEL TWO CHARGERS:
Calais: 2 Basic chargers at waterfront parking area, downtown. Chargers are Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Pedestal mounted with protective bollard. Power from existing metered account for parking area lighting; breaker panel added and conduit run underground. Trenching work and backfill provided by the City of Calais; installation, including precast concrete base & bollard provided by Riverside Electric. October 2019.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 4,410
Danforth: 2 Basic chargers at Town Office parking area, downtown. Chargers are Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Wall mounted on backing board; power dropped from nearby utility pole (EMEC). Installation provided by Swallow Electric, local electrician, working with ReVision Energy. July 2019.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 4,450
Ellsworth: 2 Basic chargers in Franklin St. parking lot, downtown. Chargers are Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Pedestal mounted with protective bollard. Power from existing metered account for parking area lighting; breaker panel added and conduit run underground. Trenching work and backfill provided by the City of Ellsworth; installation provided by ReVision Energy. June 2018.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 6,400
NETWORKED OUTDOOR-RATED LEVEL TWO CHARGERS:
Lubec: 2 Networked chargers at Lubec Memorial Library. Chargers are OpConnect network Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Wall mounted, with power from existing building breaker panel. Installation provided by Craig Nutter, local electrician. October 2019.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 4,750
Stonington: 2 Networked chargers in Small Cove parking area. Chargers are OpConnect network Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Wall mounted on backing board; new meter and breaker panel installed; new power circuit dropped from nearby utility pole. Trenching work and backfill provided by the Town of Stonington; installation provided by CL Haskell, local electrician. September 2020.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 7,950
Mount Desert Island: 2 Networked chargers at Mount Desert Island High School. Chargers are OpConnect network Clipper Creek HCS-40R. Pedestal mounted with protective bollard. Power from existing metered account in building; breakers added to panel and conduit run underground. All installation work, including trenching and backfill provided by ReVision Energy. September 2019.
Approx. total cost of equipment and installation: $ 11,260
INSTALLATION INFORMATION:
PLANNING FOR AN EV CHARGING STATION
Level 2 chargers require 240 Volt electric power and a 40 Amp for each connector. Your local licensed electrician can tell you what you have in your existing electric panel and what would be required if you need to upgrade your power.
Charger location: Chargers should be located where you designate parking spaces for EV use. Generally, the closer to the power source, the less expensive the install.
Chargers can be mounted on exterior walls or on pedestals or posts. Chargers are available with a 25’ cable, to allow for different EV parking configurations.
Is your parking area far from your existing electrical panel or you don’t have sufficient electric capacity? Consider pulling power from the nearest utility pole to your parking spaces. While this is a more expensive option, you can work with your local electrical contractor and the local electric utility to pull new power from the utility pole to a new electric meter and breaker panel specifically for your EV charging station.
Will your chargers be mounted on a pedestal or post? If so, we recommend providing protection from snow plows or errant drivers with a protective bollard. (See Belfast, Ellsworth, Machias for examples.)
Signage: consider the placement of specific signage at the parking spaces to indicate your parking/charging policy and to provide information for visiting EVs – perhaps encouraging donations if you are offering free charging or to provide “how to”specifics if you are using a smart charging network.
ACTT Electric Vehicle Charging Station Grant Program
Terms and Conditions
The goal of the A Climate to Thrive (“ACTT”) EV Charging Station Program is to significantly increase the availability of public, Level 2 EV charging outlets in areas of Eastern Maine. To this end, ACTT provides discretionary grants for the installation of such EV Charging Stations through its privately funded program.
Interested applicants should submit an application for an ACTT EV Program grant. If awarded the grant by ACTT, the program grant recipient (“Recipient”) must acknowledge and confirm their acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. ACTT, in its sole discretion, will determine both whether to award grants and the amount of the grants.
CRITERIA FOR PROPOSED EV CHARGING STATIONS
1.1 The proposed EV Charging Station location should be within Hancock, Penobscot, Washington or Aroostook Counties. ACTT may, however, in its sole discretion, consider applications for EV Charging Stations in additional Eastern Maine locations outside of these counties for possible grants under this program.
1.2 The EV Charging Station must be made available to the public for EV charging, whether or not a fee is to be set for usage. If the availability times to the public are proposed to be restricted, applicant must describe any such restrictions in their application.
1.3 The EV Charging Station must consist of at least one (1) Level 2 charger with a J1772 connector, and must provide at least 7.2kW of electric charging power per connector. ACTT’s strong preference is for two (2) chargers per EV charging station serving two (2) EV parking spaces.
1.4 A dedicated parking space, with priority for EV charging, must be allocated for each charger/connector.
1.5 Chargers may be networked or non-networked.
1.6 The EV Charging Station must be maintained in good working order and operational for a minimum period of five (5) years from date of first operation. At any time Recipient may upgrade or expand the EV Charging Station at Recipient’s expense.
1.7 Recipient shall be solely responsible for all costs in connection with the operation and maintenance of the EV Charging Station, including cost of electricity used in the operation of the station and any network services fees if chargers are networked.
GRANT AWARD AND DISBURSEMENTS
2.1 ACTT will evaluate applications and make grant awards on a rolling basis until funds allocated for this Program are expended. All determinations of application eligibility and any grant amounts to be awarded shall be in the sole discretion of ACTT.
2.2 Grants will be awarded to successful applicants in an amount not to exceed the actual cost of the EV Charging Station equipment and associated and required electrical and installation work, generally up to a maximum of $5,000. ACTT may, in its sole discretion, award grants in amounts higher than $5,000.
2.3 Recipient of a grant award shall submit invoices and documentation to verify the costs of purchasing equipment and installing the EV Charging Station; disbursement by ACTT for the final amount of the grant award will be made within fourteen (14) days of receipt of such submission.
2.4 Recipient may request that an initial portion of the grant award amount be disbursed by ACTT upon notification of a grant award, in order to expedite the installation. Any such initial portion will be determined by ACTT in consultation with Recipient.
2.5 Recipient must complete installation, and confirm that the EV Charging Station is operational, within ninety (90) days of the date of the grant award notification, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by ACTT. Any award made by ACTT may be cancelled if installation work has not commenced within the ninety (90) day period. Any funds awarded and disbursed by ACTT that are not expended by Recipient for the installation of the EV Charging Station within the ninety (day) period, unless otherwise agreed upon by ACTT, must be returned to ACTT.
AGREEMENT
3.1 Recipient of a grant award under this program will be required to sign an agreement (the “Agreement”) with ACTT to confirm and acknowledge acceptance of and compliance with these Terms and Conditions prior to disbursement of any grant award funds.
3.2 The Agreement will specify the grant award amount and any limits, the timetable for EV Charging Station installation, the details of the EV Charging Station equipment, configuration, and location, in addition to any other material obligations or conditions that ACTT and Recipient may agree upon.
3.3 ACTT’s roles in this EV Program are limited to awarding and distributing grant funds. ACTT assumes no liability with regard to the installation, location, or use of the EV Charging Station, or with regard to any products, materials or workmanship that comprise the EV Charging Station and installation. Recipient agrees to indemnify ACTT for any such liability.