New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority announced $60 million in new funding to spur installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across New York City.
The move comes days after President Trump’s Federal Highway Administration suspended funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula, which was created when the Infrastructure and Investment Act was signed into law several years ago.
The EV charging funding will finance construction of 267 new stalls across nine key sites within the city. These include 44 charging stalls near LaGuardia Airport and 24 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which is undergoing a major rebuild and gaining a microgrid at Terminal One.
The other 110 charging stalls will be built at various points in the Queens, Brooklyn and Bronx boroughs. New York-based EV charging station operator Revel will construct the stalls within the next year, while additional charging sites will be completed by 2027.
The loan is provided by NY Green Bank, the state’s energy investment fund and a division of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
“In support of the transition to a clean energy economy, it is critical that we continue to build electric vehicle infrastructure to ease the shift to EV ownership for more New Yorkers, especially those in urban areas,” Gov. Hochul said. “This significant investment addresses the key need of providing electric vehicle users in New York City with much needed public charging options while reducing local emissions.”
Revel inaugurated the JFK Airport site in November with support from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The site is expected to be operational in Q1 2025 and is expected to be one of the most utilized charging stations in the country.
Revel charging stations will be open to the public on a 24/7 basis for any type of EV, according to the state’s announcement. All chargers installed at future locations will have speeds of about 320 kW, charging an EV in just 15 minutes.
A report by the non-profit New York League of Conservation Voters estimates that there are about 150,000 electric vehicles on the road within the state, although that figure is dated. The New York Times’ 2023 report indicated about 30,000 of those were in New York City.
On a national level, last week Emily Biondi, associate administrator for the Federal Highway Administration Office of Planning, sent a memo to the nation’s state transportation directors alerting them to a suspension of funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula.
The freeze puts a hold on between $850 million and $1.5 billion of planned future allocations to create EV charging corridors around the U.S.
“As result of the rescission of the NEVI Formula Program Guidance, FHWA is also immediately suspending the approval of all State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment plans for all fiscal years,” Biondi pointed out in the letter. “Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved.”
The suspension, however, will allow already committed and funded projects to move forward.
President Trump, a Republican elected for his second, non-consecutive term in November, has moved quickly to freeze or suspend numerous clean energy programs approved under the Biden Administration. Those freezes include clean energy project funding under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022.
