City to develop fast charging hubs in every borough in 2018 with new commitment to develop 50 fast charging hubs citywide by 2020; Will help spur adoption of EVs by New Yorkers, with goal of 20% of new car registrations to be EVs by 2025
Following on his ambitious plan to mandate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today the next step in his climate action agenda. The Mayor announced plans to significantly expand access to electric vehicle (EV) charging for residents by developing new fast charging stations across the city. As part of the Administration’s target for 20 percent of the motor vehicle registrations in New York City to be electric by 2025, the City will invest $10 million to develop fast charging hubs with up to 20 chargers per site. Beginning in 2018, the City will partner with Con Edison to identify at least one site in every borough; these five hubs would have the capacity to charge more than 12,000 electric vehicles every week.
“New York City will continue to invest in the new technologies we need to reduce our emissions, especially in the face of Trump’s abdication of leadership on climate,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “By helping develop the infrastructure necessary for electric vehicles, we’re going to make it easier than ever for New Yorkers to switch. This is another step towards aligning our action on climate change with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree stretch goal.”
Council Member Costa Constantinides, Chair of the Council's Environmental Protection Committee, said, "As we work to meet our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, we must encourage New Yorkers to form sustainable habits including driving electric vehicles. My legislation for a pilot program that brings electric vehicle charging stations to every borough has broken barriers to increase use of these vehicles. This plan to build fast-charging EV hubs across our city will spur further adoption. Encouraging greener and more sustainable forms of transportation will greatly reduce our emissions, helping our city become a global leader on the environment. Thank you to the Mayor's Office of Sustainability for their partnership on reducing carbon emissions.”
“Increasing access to fast charging electric vehicle charging stations puts us on the right track to keeping up with other cities in our country and around the world,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair of the New York City Council Transportation Committee. “More than ever, we must reaffirm our commitment to cleaner alternative modes of transportation and to efforts reducing dependency on carbon-dioxide emitting vehicles.”
To further spur the market for EVs, the City is making a new commitment to establishing 50 fast-charging hubs citywide by 2020, providing reliable access to high-speed charging for would-be EV drivers who lack other charging options.
The City will also be working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors’ Maven carshare division, and EVgo to bring additional fast chargers and more than 50 EVs to New York City for use by for-hire vehicle drivers to encourage a shift to electric and low-carbon vehicles in the for-hire fleet.
And as part of Con Edison’s $25 million EV demonstration project, DOT and NYPD will reserve access to 100 or more on-street parking spaces for EVs only, where they will be able to plug in for low-speed charging. If the pilot is successful, the program could be expanded to provide curbside charging citywide.
This announcement today builds off of Local Law 160 of 2016, championed by Council Members Constantinides and Rodriguez. This law established an EV charging station pilot program, and requires installation of at least 25 multi-hour EV charging stations in publicly accessible locations by March 1, 2018, with at least two stations in every borough. The law also expanded an Electric Vehicle Advisory Committee that monitors the results of the program and will make recommendations related to the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the city, including the feasibility of on-street electric vehicle charging.
When President Trump announced the US would abandon the Paris Climate Agreement earlier this year, the Mayor pledged New York City would adhere to the treaty and accelerate its own actions to reach the 80 percent reduction in emissions by the 2050 target. Transportation in New York City accounts for nearly 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions - but nearly all of those emissions (90 percent) come from private cars or trucks. When charged in New York City, because of the relatively low-carbon composition of our grid, electric vehicles have the same carbon footprint as a car that gets 80-110 miles per gallon. This will only improve as New York City’s electricity grid expands use of renewable and low-carbon power.
The investment in electric vehicle infrastructure is part of a series of steps the City must take to help hold global temperature increases to just 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change. The measures announced today can support a 5 to 10 percent electric vehicle adoption rate in the near term, reducing annual citywide greenhouse gas emissions by approximately as much as 1 percent below 2005 levels. Sustained effort to meet the Mayor’s target of a 20 percent electric vehicle share by 2025 can unlock up to 1.5 percent annual reduction by 2030.
This step is part of a comprehensive set of initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, including expanding non-vehicle options and encouraging more trips to be taken by transit, walking, and bicycling. The de Blasio administration is expanding city’s bike lane network, bringing bike share to more neighborhoods, investing in pedestrian safety, improving bus service by investing in new select bus service routes and bus service upgrades across the city, and pursuing a tax on millionaires to modernize the subway system and provide half-priced fares for low-income riders. But even as New Yorkers take more trips by bus, subway, bike or on foot, we are taking steps transition remaining vehicle trips to clean and electric vehicles.
There are currently 307 publicly available charging sites citywide, consisting of 526 Level 2 chargers and just 16 fast chargers. The difference between fast charging sites and a Level 2 charger is 30 minutes vs. as many as 8 hours to charge. A study is in process to identify the best sites for each fast charge hub, based on factors including projected EV ownership, traffic density, and proximity to amenities to enjoy while drivers charge their cars.
As the cost of electric car and trucks become more affordable, ensuring the infrastructure is in place to help New Yorkers make the switch to cleaner vehicles is essential. Electric vehicles release no tailpipe emissions, require less maintenance and are ideal for city driving.
This new effort complements NYC Clean Fleet, the City’s comprehensive plan to create the largest municipal electric vehicle fleet of any US city. The City has already surpassed 1,000 electric vehicles in its fleet and is ahead of schedule to meet its target of adding 2,000 electric vehicles by 2025.
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