Comptroller calls EV charging station plan a dissapointment

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Poughkeepsie Councilperson Sarah Salem stands with one of the new vehicle charging stations. (file photo)
ALBANY – The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has failed to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers where they are most needed by New York’s nearly 50,000 registered EVs, leaving nearly half of the state’s counties without any NYPA-installed charging stations, according to an audit released last week by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
 
The state’s plan for increasing the number of public EV charging stations was meant to spur increased use of electric vehicles, reduce carbon emissions, and address the climate change movement. The Charge NY program was announced in 2013 as a statewide network of up to 3,000 public and workplace charging stations to be ready in five years. It was followed in 2018 by Charge NY 2.0, a plan to install 10,000 public charging stations by the end of 2021. That same year, NYPA also announced EVolve NY, a $250 million project to put high-speed chargers at airports and along major highways. Despite the allocation of significant funding, NYPA has fallen short of fulfilling its EV program goals, according to DiNapoli.
 
As of June 2021, there were 46,608 electric vehicles registered in New York, but NYPA had installed just 277 public charging ports or one for every 168 EVs registered in NY. NYPA installed another 221 workplace charging ports at its own facilities and at facilities operated by businesses receiving power from NYPA’s Economic Development Power Programs, but they are only available to employees.
 
Westchester County, where NYPA is headquartered, has substantially more chargers than other Hudson Valley counties.  In that county, there are 4,844 EVs and 44 charging stations.  Other Hudson Valley counties do not have a similar ratio.
  • Dutchess County has 971 EVs and 10 charging stations; one station for every 97 vehicles.
  • Rockland County has 959 EVs and 16 stations; one station for every 60 vehicles.
  • Ulster County has 780 EVs and five stations; one for every 156 vehicles.
  • Putnam has 349 EVs and four stations; one for every 87 vehicles.
“Compared to what was promised, the rollout of electric vehicle chargers has been a disappointment so far,” DiNapoli said. “Since encouraging more drivers to switch to electric cars is a part of the state’s strategy for lowering emissions, we have a long road ahead. NYPA needs to look at our recommendations, deliver on its commitments, and get this program headed in the right direction.”
 
According to DiNapoli, “NYPA largely agreed with the audit’s recommendations for improving the program, although it disagreed with the findings regarding placement of charging stations being insufficient to meet consumer need.”
 
The entire report, including the NYPA response to the audit, can be found HERE.



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