State officials are working to make electric vehicles a more realistic option for New Yorkers as lawmakers push Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a law for the state to develop a mobile application with real-time information about the available charging ports statewide and the city of Albany's first fast-charging EV hub was installed this week.
New York state law requires all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state to be all-electric, or zero emission, by 2035.
On Wednesday, lawmakers, including Assembly Energy Committee chair Didi Barrett, met with stakeholders in Albany about how to best transition to electric vehicles and educating the public. She says the state must better educate schools and municipalities to understand the state and federal grants available to electrify their transportation fleets.
"...They really are not aware of what the process is and where the funding is available; and how to even go about this," said Barrett, a Democrat from Hudson. "And they're in a, you know, void of information, and they've kind of gotten to the point where they're all worked up thinking the worst."
She wants Hochul to sign her legislation to require the State Energy Research and Development Authority to create a mobile application with information of where EV charging stations are located, which are working and the cost to use them.
"That would really cover everything and be something that people could rely on, and therefore feel much more competent being able to move forward into this brave new world," Barrett said Wednesday.
State agencies do not comment on pending legislation. But department officials would not answer questions Thursday about its staff, and their experience developing a mobile application for the state in the past as the legislation would demand if it becomes law.
NYSERDA officials say the most efficient similar tool to date is a national EV charging station locator map on its website with data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Meanwhile, blocks away, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan showed off the capital city's first fast-charging port for electric vehicles installed downtown this week. City and state officials gathered at Quackenbush public parking garage at 25 Orange St., to commemorate the installation.
"Every day, more and more electric vehicles are hitting the road [and] people want to be sure they can charge those vehicles," said Sheehan, a Democrat.
Only about 13% of the state's 10,300 public charging ports for electric vehicles in the state are Direct Current Fast Charging ports, or can completely charge a vehicle in about an hour or less. The other 9,000 ports are Level 2 charging stations, and take a few hours to fully charge an electric car or truck.
The Capital Region has the highest number of Level 2 charging ports with 2,235, with just under 2,000 in New York City and nearly 1,200 in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Source: NYSERDA
Hundreds of others are scattered across the other regions, but are most sparse in the Southern Tier with fewer than 300.
Long Island is home to the greatest number of fast-charging EV ports at 311. The state has about 3,000 other semi-public charging stations, or those located at workplaces and multifamily buildings not fully available to the public, according to NYSERDA.
Lawmakers and state leaders say tools like the mobile app and an increased prevalence of charging stations that power a vehicle more quickly will incentivize people to transition and meet the state's electrification deadline.
But drivers often worry higher costs upfront and the unreliability of accessing a convenient port makes the change seem unrealistic.
Officials with New York Power Authority said at Wednesday's unveiling of the new Albany hub the fast-charging ports can cost around $20 to power an electric vehicle.
"Up-front cost is a big part of it, but then there is a total cost of ownership that the consumer might not necessarily think about, but is ultimately going to be money in their pockets," said Fabio Mantovani, vice president of NYPA Ventures.
NYSERDA does not own or operate any charging stations.
"We have contractual requirements for continued operation for the charging stations we have provided funding for and regularly monitor their performance," according to a statement from NYSERDA on Thursday. "However, it is the responsibility of the charging station owners and operators to repair charging stations, not NYSERDA’s."
Lawmakers have budgeted more than $1 billion to increase zero-emission vehicles in New York over the next five years.
The city-owned Quackenbush garage in Albany was chosen because of its proximity to major highways and available electric capacity — factors that determine which areas will get EV chargers fastest.
"To be successful, we have to continue to partner, look at the capacity areas and do the careful planning to make sure we continue to advance these installations," said Maribel Cruz-Brown, NYPA's senior vice president of customer solutions.