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The UMass Amherst Energy Transition Institute (ETI) has joined a new electric vehicle initiative in Massachusetts to install EV charging infrastructure in church parking lots to help serve congregations and ease charging barriers for residents who are considering EV adoption.

Erin Baker, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and ETI faculty director, and Faustina Sarfo, industrial engineering and operations research doctoral student, will co-design research with parishioners and community members to ensure that underserved voices shape the direction of the project.

Together, Baker and Sarfo will develop a survey for EV charger users and local residents to understand the charging stations’ community impacts, including potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transitions to EVs.

This project, which is led by Answer to Prayer Network, is made possible by a $524,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) through the Accelerating Clean Transportation for All, Round 2 program, which aims to increase clean transportation access and decrease transportation burdens throughout the commonwealth.

Investment in EVs and charging infrastructure in underserved communities significantly lags behind that of more affluent neighborhoods. This project will help address the need for effective deployment of EVs and propose a scalable strategy for infrastructure development along strategic corridors and in neighborhoods, with a focus on urban and rural communities that are underserved. The transition to EVs represents a crucial step towards sustainability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring access to clean transportation options across all communities—a step that dovetails with ETI’s focus on helping create an environmentally sustainable and equitable energy future.

Sarfo’s doctoral research focuses on developing data analytics and computational models, with an emphasis on integrating community perspectives to improve access to sustainable energy and mobility in marginalized communities. Baker applies operations research and economics to decision making under uncertainty, with a focus on energy justice and publicly funded energy technology research and development portfolios in the face of climate change.

Overall, the ATP project aims to install 24 Level 2 charging ports in targeted church properties, the first of which was opened to the public on Nov. 16 at the Malden First Church of the Nazarene. Baker and Sarfo will work with parishioners and neighbors of St. Peters in Holyoke, who are scheduled to have charging ports installed in 2026.

More information about the project can be found on the Riccio College of Engineering website.