New York state continues to expand electric vehicle charging network

Albany, New York – The Albany International Airport has added six electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for airport traveler use, thanks to a collaboration by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the Albany County Airport Authority. The installations are part of a planned statewide network of up to 3,000 EV stations slated for various public and workplace locations across New York State.

The charging stations are in support of Charge NY, a statewide initiative launched by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2013 to help bring about greater use of plug-in EVs, lay a foundation for additional investments in clean technologies by the private sector, and reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. The new installations also support a recently announced multi-state zero-emission vehicle action plan, in which New York and seven other state participants seek to have 3.3 million zero-emission cars on U.S. roads by 2025.

The Albany Airport charging stations are the first in a series of 100 such installations that NYPA and NYSERDA are partnering on in the coming months that will be located at 37 public and workplace locations. In late 2013, the NYPA trustees awarded a contract to EV management services firm EV Connect for the installation of the charging stations. EV Connect has partnered with several New York firms on equipment installation, including Switch Electric of Croton-On-Hudson, Allegro Power of Buffalo, and Patricia Electric based in Syracuse.

The six Albany Airport charging stations – three in the main parking garage and three in long-term parking – are each capable of supplying up to 6kW of power to an electric vehicle per hour. Charge times will vary depending on the size and type of car, but for mid-sized cars (e.g., the Chevrolet Volt, Ford C-MAX Hybrid Energi, or Nissan Leaf), charging is expected to take approximately four hours. At the Albany Airport, EV drivers will be able to charge their cars without cost for a two-year trial period.

The charging stations are equipped with software that will allow users to remotely monitor the charging process as well as pay for the battery charge, if applicable. The software will also collect and transmit data on frequency of use, length of charges and amount of energy dispensed, to allow NYPA and NYSERDA to refine details of the process for future charging installations.

Since Charge NY was launched, nearly 400 EV charging stations have been added in New York, bringing the current total number in the state to approximately 900. This puts the state well within reach of the Charge NY goal of 3,000 charging stations by 2018. More than 8,000 EVs are operating in the state, which is an increase from 2,500 when Charge NY was first announced.

Source: New York Power Authority