Bronx drivers will have greater access to electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations this fall.
Construction on a public EV fast-charging station on White Plains Road is set to wrap up in November, NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced Thursday.
The new station is being constructed at a time when the Bronx has the fewest number of fast chargers among the five boroughs, according to city data. With a high concentration of Licensed Taxi and Limousine Drivers living in the Bronx, the city is taking steps to close the charging gap between the borough and the rest of NYC with the station.
The city is also completing the construction of a fast-charging station in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst. It is expected to open early next year.
“As a former cab driver, I understand how important equity of access will be to our efforts to transition for-hire vehicles away from fossil fuels,” Rodriguez said. “By targeting Bronx and Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods where we know many drivers live, we will better meet growing demand for more fast charging as well as advance our ambitious climate goals.”
The Bronx site, just east of the Bronx River Parkway and south of Pelham Parkway, will have four fast chargers that allow drivers– including the public– to charge EVs 80% in an hour or less. There will also be four Level 2 chargers capable of charging most EVs in 6 – 8 hours.
According to a DOT spokesperson, all DOT fast chargers cost 39 cents per kW of power used, and TLC-licensed drivers are eligible for a 15% discount.
“New York City is making great progress in the development of fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and this initiative will significantly increase access for ride-share drivers and residents in all five boroughs,” said Justin E. Driscoll, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), in a statement.
The city has invested in making charging stations available to New Yorkers through partnerships with NYPA and ConEd. But high-speed charging infrastructure in the Bronx lags behind that of Manhattan and inner Brooklyn and Queens.
Expanded access in the Bronx and outer boroughs, where large numbers of licensed taxi and limousine drivers live, will be crucial to meeting Mayor Eric Adams “Green Rides Initiative” goals of 100% zero-emission or wheelchair accessible rideshare trips by 2030.
The city aims to have all New Yorkers live within 2.5 miles of a fast charger by 2035. Today, 71% of New Yorkers live that close to a fast charger.
The number of EVs in the city and across the state continues to grow. As of July 2024, 62,192 EVs were registered in New York City, representing 26% of all EVs registered across the state.
