On Wednesday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Hank Gutman released the Electrifying New York: An Electric Vehicle Vision Plan for New York City (NYC) plan. In fact, this initiative will drastically expand the city’s electric vehicle charging network in the coming years.
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Accordingly, Gutman said on the plan’s release; “With the climate crisis upon us, it’s time to plan bigger about how New York City can dramatically accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.”
About the plan for NYC
Gutman also noted that NYC plans other major federal investments in EV charging. Therefore, the most recent initiative “lays the groundwork for a network of tens of thousands of public EV chargers equitably distributed across the city.”
Particularly, the Commissioner continued, this would enable “many more car owners to go electric.”
Moreover, to reach New York City’s ambitious goals, officials say that at least 400,000 vehicle owners will need to switch to electric vehicles by 2030. In fact, NYC’s targets already include complete carbon neutrality by 2050,
However, if the city wants nearly half a million drivers to go electric in the next nine years, it will need to build out its existing charging infrastructure. Specifically, this will ensure that electric vehicle owners have ample opportunities to fuel up.
To that end, the city’s new plan calls for the installation of 40,000 public Level 2 (L2) chargers and 6,000 Direct Current (DC) fast chargers citywide by 2030. The project also outlines eight initiatives to help achieve the ambitious charging infrastructure expansion.
DC Fast Chargers expansion, and more!
NYC will therefore expand its network of city-operated DC fast chargers by over 80 plugs by 2025. In fact, currently, there are 117 fast chargers located throughout the city.
These fast chargers can produce an 80% charge in 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the vehicle. With the introduced initiative, all city municipal parking lots and garages will have 20% of their parking spots equipped with L2 chargers by 2025; and also 40% by 2030.
Thus, the DOT will also install 1,000 curbside charging stations throughout the five boroughs by 2025. As Gutman said, that number will also increase to 10,000 curbside charging stations by 2030.
The Commissioner noted that the plans include city officials developing a plan for Level 2 and Level 1 user-supplied cord charging systems. Particularly, these will integrate with existing street infrastructure. Besides, they will advocate for federal funding to support its electrification initiatives.
Finally, the city will launch electric vehicle public awareness campaigns through PlugNYC. As part of those campaigns, NYC will engage electric vehicle stakeholders to better understand the market’s needs. Lastly, it will work with regulators and utility companies to help facilitate the installation of charging infrastructure.
