Sustainable infrastructure firm Beam Global has announced that its EV ARC brand of solar EV chargers will power the new CommunityEV Carshare in Massachusetts.

Combining Beam’s off-grid, battery-enhanced charging infrastructure and EVs from Zipcar, the pilot program aims to expand access to affordable electrical transportation. The companies say these principles have been traditionally cast to the wayside by carsharing services, but Beam’s technology will be able to keep prices down for customers throughout the Bay State.

“Beam Global is excited to bring our innovative and reliable off-grid charging infrastructure products to this partnership and see them deliver benefits to more people across Greater Boston,” says Beam Global president and CEO Desmond Wheatley. “With no construction and no connection to the grid, our rapidly deployed off-grid infrastructure solutions generate reliable electricity but they don’t generate a utility bill so that people in these communities can access clean transportation options without delays and in the most cost-efficient manner.”

Beam officials say four locations across the Greater Boston area have already received Beam’s EV ARC systems. These charging ports allow EVs to charge with zero-unit cost for electricity, and do so with renewable solar energy.

Additionally, all of this is available without any construction, trenching, electrical work, or connecting to existing utilities.

Accelerating U.S. EV adoption

Americans have been notoriously tough customers when it comes to adopting EVs on a grand scale, especially when compared to countries in northern Europe. Beam Global is attempting to help change that through its participation in the new pilot program.

The company says each EV ARC system generates and stores solar energy on-site, enabling up to 265 miles of zero-unit cost charging per day. The systems can also charge two vehicles simultaneously and support multiple Zipcar charging sessions daily, with no added load on the local grid.

Lizzi Weyant, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the pilot’s organizer, says the program offers a new way of solving transportation problems in the Northeast.

“CommunityEV Carshare is a transformative approach to solving two of the most important issues facing MAPC’s region, transportation and climate change,” she says, “by applying new transportation technology to increase equitable mobility and utilizing renewable energy infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The system deploys will go to places in Massachusetts where traditional grid-connected EV chargers are “impractical.” Weyant adds that the pilot will also help to promote EV usage and carsharing to underserved communities around the Boston area.

Beam Global’s involvement in the program furthers Massachusetts’ goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the company says. As of July 2026, transportation accounts for 38% of the state’s total emissions.

Tags: Beam Global, EV, EV charging, Massachusetts, project