New York Governor Kathy Hochul has recently announced that ten fast chargers, capable of charging compatible electric vehicles in less than 30 minutes, will be built as part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s EVolve NY fast-charging network at LaGuardia Airport. EVolve NY, the state’s electric vehicle charging network, will eventually feature over 100 high-speed charging outlets around the state.
“Electric vehicles are key to decarbonising our transportation system and as the global auto industry invests heavily in the latest zero-emission vehicles, New York will continue to focus on expanding our cross-state fast-charging network and incentivising EVs, which will help us transition to a healthier, greener future,” Governor Hochul said.
Governor Hochul also revealed that the Port Authority’s LaGuardia Airport in Queens has approved 10 high-speed chargers with power outputs up to 350 kW. The hub will be one of the largest publicly accessible fast-charging stations for electric vehicles in the Northeast, as part of the EVolve NY network.
The chargers will be put in a new location between Terminals A and B on Runway Drive and are expected to open in 2023. The chargers will be available to the general public, including rideshare and taxi drivers, and should be capable of charging all-electric vehicles, including Teslas equipped with an adapter. A comparable location has opened at JFK International Airport in 2020. The JFK facility saw a fivefold rise in usage in the previous year, with over 11,000 charging sessions recorded.
The fast chargers will supplement the 11 existing medium-speed chargers in the airport’s internal parking garages, which serve customers. The Port Authority became the first transportation agency in the US to accept the Biden Administration’s greenhouse gas reduction targets in 2021, with a goal of net-zero carbon emissions across all of its facilities by 2050.
In addition, the organisation announced new intermediate goals to reduce direct emissions by 50% by 2030 under the Port Authority. Last year, a fact sheet about the Biden administration’s advances in electric vehicle charging infrastructure was released.
The White House reported progress toward the Administration’s aim of accelerating and expanding the deployment of electric vehicles and charging stations, as well as creating good-paying union jobs and enabling a sustainable transportation future. This includes federal government acts.
The Department of Transportation released guidance on how grants can be used to deploy charging infrastructure and newly designated alternative fuel corridors, while the Department of Energy announced new funding and partnerships for charger-related research and development, and the General Services Administration reported progress toward its goal of transitioning the federal fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
According to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center, the United States achieved the 100,000 public charger mark in March 2021, and these additional initiatives will speed up deployment to make driving an electric vehicle convenient in every corner of the country.
Most electric vehicle owners will charge their vehicles at home and at work. One of the advantages of driving an electric vehicle is that you never have to stop at a gas station. However, for persons lacking off-street parking and for longer excursions, public charging infrastructure will be critical. Drivers will have more trust that they will always have a charging option when they need it if there is a robust, handy, and economical network of public chargers.
President Biden’s American Jobs Plan calls for a US$ 15 billion investment to support this objective and create a nationwide network of 500,000 charging stations. It will support a transformational acceleration in the deployment of a mix of chargers in apartment buildings, public parking, throughout communities, and as a robust fast charging along our nation’s highways through a combination of grant and incentive programmes for state and local governments and the private sector.
Charger installation and maintenance generates well-paying union jobs in the United States that cannot be outsourced, and the American Jobs Plan contains incentives to bring more charging equipment production to the country.
