Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) reported that electric vehicle (EV) curbside charger usage has been exponentially higher than anticipated. Despite the fact that, for the first 18 months after their installation, access to some chargers were blocked by gas-burning vehicles 20% of the time, their average utilization rates still surpassed 70%, as of March 2024. The NYPD issued 2,197 summonses for violators last year, but enforcement of “EV-only” parking for chargers has been admittedly challenging.
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and Con Ed are currently gathering additional data to prepare for a larger-scale expansion of curbside chargers, seeking designs that are cheaper, smaller, and easier to install for the next phase. The expansion will focus on neighborhoods with a high number of taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers, limited off-street parking options, and diverse income levels.
Additionally, in March, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to install more than 100 new, state-funded EV “fast-chargers” in NYC, as part of a $1 billion investment to electrify the state’s transportation sector. This includes 76 high-speed chargers at 13 new EVolve NY hubs, 20 NYC-owned fast chargers, and 12 chargers at LaGuardia Airport. Installation at most sites is expected to be completed by 2025.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is also adding high-speed chargers to New York State’s major travel corridors through its EVolve NY network. Over the past four years, 170 chargers have been installed at 43 sites, between NYC and Buffalo, the Adirondacks or Montauk. Thirty-eight additional EVolve NY sites are in development, with a total of 90 sites and 400 chargers planned by the end of 2025.
In February 2024. New York State reported having 200,000 EVs on the road. Programs like the Drive Clean Rebate, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), have issued more than 132,000 rebates to New Yorkers since 2017, totaling more than $135 million, in all 62 counties. The incentive can be combined with the federal Inflation Reduction Act tax credit of up to $7,500 for eligible buyers of qualified clean vehicles.
Additionally, the $15 million Charge Ready 2.0 program supports installation of Level 2 chargers at workplaces, multi-unit dwellings, and public facilities, and complements other initiatives such as EV Make Ready, EVolve NY and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) programs.
“Our rideshare licensees have been catalysts for the City’s EV and charging evolution, and thanks to them, our Green Rides Initiative is already two years ahead of schedule,” said Taxi & Limousine Commissioner and Chair David Do. “These chargers provide a critical resource to our drivers, and the discounts help them keep more money in their pockets.”
EV owners can locate public chargers using smartphone apps such as EVConnect, ElectrifyAmerica, PlugShare, ChargeHub, ChargeWay, ChargePoint, EVGo, Livingston Charge Port, Google Maps, or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. For a map showing EVolve NY chargers, visit: https://evolveny.nypa.gov/. Credit cards are accepted; no subscription or membership needed.
