"New York is setting the trend for more electric vehicle use across the state and across the country," said Cuomo. "We are moving forward by working with communities to build an even more extensive network of charging stations which will substantially reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and build a cleaner, greener New York for all."
The most recent chargers were installed in municipal parking garages in Buffalo and Rochester as part of the New York Power Authority's (NYPA) electric vehicle charging station program. Through a collaboration with the private-sector and other partners, more than 200 chargers are expected to be installed for public use throughout the state this year.
The cities of Buffalo and Rochester received $194,669 and $128,000, respectively, from the State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Clean Vehicle Infrastructure Rebate program. Municipal rebates, which encourage the installation of clean vehicle support infrastructure, such as electric vehicle charging stations for public use, are part of the state's $300 million Environmental Protection Fund, which DEC administers. NYPA, which contracts the installation work, is installing 72 charging ports for municipalities awarded DEC funding. The latest phase, which includes the Buffalo and Rochester projects, also included nine ports for the city of Yonkers, the fourth largest city in the state.
The City of Buffalo installed 16 dual port wall-mounted units in eight municipal-owned parking garages (32 charging ports). Rochester's project involved the installation of six dual port ground-mounted charging stations in five municipal garages (12 charging ports). The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) previously funded 70 charging stations in Buffalo and 40 in Rochester. To locate the chargers, visit www.plugshare.com.
Under the Governor's ChargeNY 2.0 initiative, New York State is working with the private sector to support the public availability of at least 10,000 charging stations across New York by 2021. The number of public charging stations has grown from about 500 in 2011 to more than 2,000 statewide currently.
The effort also ties in with NYPA's recently announced $250 million EVolve NY electric vehicle expansion initiative that will bring hundreds of additional fast chargers to interstates and urban hubs around the state, as well as New York City airports. The EVolve NY program will involve private-sector partners and also work to increase public awareness about electric vehicles and charging.
