- New York City is about to make life easier for EV owners who don’t have access to home chargers.
- Known as one of the most densely populated cities in the world, NYC is significantly increasing the number of curbside EV chargers.
- The city is rolling out hundreds of new charging points, including multiple DC fast chargers.
Owning a car in New York City is not for the faint of heart, and owning an electric car is no different. As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, simply finding a parking spot can be a challenge, let alone one that also happens to have a charger next to it.
But things are about to change, as NYC is gearing up to add nearly 1,000 new charging points across its boroughs, including 600 curbside chargers. The city’s Department of Transportation said the expansion will happen over the next three years across all five boroughs, significantly expanding the PlugNYC charging network, which currently offers 88 Level 2 charging points.
Photo by: NYC DOT
The new curbside chargers, which can top up an EV battery in a few hours, will be installed based on high residential density, limited off-street parking, and a high concentration of licensed cab and ride-hailing drivers. The expansion will also include low- and moderate-income communities where private companies have made few investments, the city said.
The first chargers will go online in Soundview and Unionport, in the Bronx; Rego Park, Forest Hills, and Far Rockaway, in Queens; Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn; the Upper West Side and Washington Heights, in Manhattan; and Stapleton, on Staten Island, with more to come. That said, residents can comment on the proposed sites at the NYC DOT’s project portal.
The new curbside stations will have at least two stalls, each with two charging points, for a total of four charging connectors per site. The DOT said that the new stations will include electrical connections for e-micromobility charging where possible, like electrified bikeshare docks, public e-bike charging cabinets, secure bike parking with charging, or carbon bike charging for microhubs. The idea is to dig once and future-proof the new locations.
In addition to the 600 new curbside charging points, NYC is also installing 92 DC fast charging points and 180 new Level 2 charging points at its City-owned Municipal Parking Fields and Municipal Parking Garages, with construction already underway or completed at many of the planned locations.
The NYC DOT will contract with the New York Power Authority to procure and install the new curbside charge points. The DOT will operate and maintain the new curbside chargers, as well as the current chargers that were installed as part of a pilot program with Con Edison.
Pricing has not been set for the new curbside chargers yet, but the city said it will focus on affordability while encouraging reasonable turnover. Drivers will be able to use multiple apps or tap their credit cards to pay per kilowatt-hour of energy dispensed, according to the NYC DOT.
“The Mamdani administration is taking aggressive action to address the climate crisis and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For the transportation sector, our main goal is making it easier and more affordable for New Yorkers to walk, bike, and take transit,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. “But for those who still drive, we need to dramatically accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. This initiative will make charging more affordable and convenient, helping support the transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles and expand charging access to TLC-licensed drivers and residents of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods underserved by private charging options.”
New York City’s new curbside chargers should be a breath of fresh air for EV owners. The current network of just 88 charging points has the highest utilization rate of any public curbside network in the United States, according to the NYC DOT, with each charging point delivering energy over 85% of the time they are occupied. These parking spots can only be used if a car is plugged into a charger, and that happens a lot, with an occupancy rate between 70% and 99%.