Hochul announces new electric vehicle fast charging stations along major travel corridor between Mid-Hudson & Western New York regions

EVolve NY EV infrastructure helps advance state plan to electrify transportation sector and reduce greenhouse gases 85% by 2050

√ View Hancock site and extended travel route to Hudson Valley

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced a dozen new electric vehicle fast chargers have been deployed along the primary travel corridor from the Southern Tier to Western New York.

Her team said, “The new chargers will ensure that one of New York State's ‘fast charging deserts’ is more accessible to EVs and that all regions across the state offer more convenient charging opportunities.”

The installation of new high-speed charging sites, led by the New York Power Authority, currently includes Jamestown, Salamanca and Bath, and will soon be supplemented by Olean, Friendship, Castle Creek and Hancock that “will help support more convenient and accessible EV travel along Interstate 86 and Route 17 between the Hudson Valley and Lake Erie.

“New York state's fast charging infrastructure investment further supports its ambitious plan to transition to clean transportation and reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions that come from the transportation sector.”

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

Through its EVolve NY program, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) maintains the largest open-access high-speed charging network in the state, with more than 100 ports at 30 sites along major travel corridors – “helping ensure that EV drivers in New York do not have to worry about running out of charge.” The program aims to eliminate "fast charging deserts" and encourage the development of public charging infrastructure that is available to all New Yorkers and visitors.

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

New Fast Charger Sites – Jamestown, Salamanca & Bath

The City of Jamestown in Chautauqua County recently installed chargers supported by the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Volkswagen settlement fund to expand charging stations in New York. The municipal utility operates four ChargePoint DC fast chargers: two at West 2nd Street and North Main Street, and two at East 4th Street and Prendergast Avenue.

Two new EVolve NY sites now operate in a public lot in the City of Salamanca (768 Broad St.) in Cattaraugus County and in a municipal parking lot in the Town of Bath (15 E. William St.) in Steuben County. Chargers were earlier installed at a Mirabito convenience store in Binghamton in Broome County, at a shopping center in Liberty in Sullivan County, and in a municipal lot in Middletown in Orange County, and plans for a dozen more ports are under development in Olean in Cattaraugus County, Friendship in Allegany County and Castle Creek in Broome County. The Town of Hancock in Delaware County will host the largest open access fast charging hub in the Southern Tier region with eight charging ports when it's complete later this month. The additional sites, expected to be constructed in the spring, run through primarily rural areas located in close proximity to I-86 and Route 17.

See sites on a map here.

Hochul’s team said, “The new Direct Current Fast Chargers can charge most of the battery capacity in any make or model of EV in as little as 20 minutes. The charging stations, on the Shell Recharge or Electrify America networks, are equipped with fast charging connectors – a combined charging system rated at up to 150 kW and a CHAdeMO connector rated at up to 100kW – so all electric vehicles, including Tesla cars with an adapter, can plug in.”

New York State's EV Charging Infrastructure Initiatives

Hochul recently called for major regulatory action that will require all new passenger cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs sold in New York to be zero-emission by 2035. She has also proposed that all school buses be zero-emission by that the same year.

Her team said, “Proposing draft regulations is a crucial step to further electrify the transportation sector and help New York achieve its climate requirement of reducing greenhouse gases 85% by 2050.”

New York 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 (NEVI) program to help expand EV use.

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’s team said, “Increasing EV sales will help the state reach its aggressive clean energy goals as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The goal is to reach 850,000 zero-emission vehicles in New York by 2025.

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

“EV owners can locate public chargers using smartphone apps such as Shell Recharge, Electrify America, PlugShare, ChargeHub, ChargeWay, EV Connect, ChargePoint, Google Maps, or the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center. For a map showing EVolve NY chargers, click here. Note that the EVolve chargers operate on the Electrify America and Shell Recharge networks. Credit cards are accepted to charge; no subscription or membership needed.”