New York State Rolls Out EV Charging Stations Along Major East/West Corridor

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state is making it easier for drivers of electric vehicles to traverse the state’s southern tier from the Hudson Valley to Western New York and Lake Erie.

Long considered one of the state’s “fast charging deserts,” Interstate 86 and Route 17 through New York (think of highways paralleling the state’s lengthy border with Pennsylvania) are now dotted with a dozen new high-speed electric vehicle charging sites.

“New York state is charging forward toward a greener and cleaner future by making electric vehicles more accessible to everyone,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“These new charging stations are sited along the most-traveled corridor in the southern region, which will be pivotal towards encouraging drivers in the Southern Tier and Western New York to make the transition to greener vehicles,” she said.

The installation of the new charging sites was led by the New York Power Authority and includes the communities of Jamestown, Salamanca and Bath, with Olean, Friendship, Castle Creek and Hancock coming online soon.

Through its EVolve program, the authority maintains the largest open-access high-speed charging network in New York state with more than 100 ports at 20 sites along major travel corridors.

The program aims to encourage the development of public charging infrastructure that is available to all New Yorkers and visitors.

“Electric vehicles are more efficient and less expensive to drive, and they’re key in reducing air pollutants from the transportation sector,” said New York Power Authority Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll in a written statement.

“NYPA’s role in the clean transportation transition is to build infrastructure in urban hubs and along well-traveled corridors, making it more convenient to travel long distances through every region in New York. Our EVolve NY program has made great strides in installing more charging hubs and will continue its industry-leading work into 2023,” Driscoll said.

New York state has seen record increases in the number of EVs sold in 2021, bringing the total number of EVs on the road to approximately 120,000 and the number of charging stations in the state to more than 10,000, including Level 2 and fast chargers.

Hochul recently called for major regulatory action that will require all new passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in New York state to be zero-emission by 2035. 

In addition, the state is investing more than $1 billion in zero-emission cars and trucks over the next five years. 

Active light-duty vehicle initiatives include zero-emission vehicle purchase rebates through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Drive Clean Rebate Program, zero-emission vehicle and charging infrastructure grants through DEC’s Climate Smart Communities Municipal Grant Program, as well as the “EV Make Ready” initiative, NYPA’s EVolve NY program, and the Department of Transportation’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to help expand EV use.

New York state hosts 1,087 public fast chargers at 252 locations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, although they range in speed from 25 kW to 350 kW, which equates to varying charging times. More than 600 are Tesla-only chargers.

In Jamestown, New York, Mayor Edward Sundquist noted that the benefits of having high-speed EV chargers in his town extend far beyond the greening of his community — they’re actually inspiring residents and out-of-towners to visit his downtown “and see what our city has to offer.”

“We are excited to have our municipal utility, the Jamestown BPU, provide the power for these chargers. As we plan for the future of electrification, Jamestown stands at the forefront as a public power provider,” Sundquist said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue