Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out a big goal for NYC during his 12th and final State of City address - add 10,000 public parking spots reserved for electric vehicles with 2,000 of them offering charging stations. Today, the city only has 100 public charging stations in place, and 120 stations for the city's fleet of EVs. Only 30 more government stations would be added under the mayor's proposal.
"This year we'll pilot curbside vehicle chargers that will allow drivers to fill up their battery in as little as 30 minutes," Mayor Bloomberg said in prepared remarks. "We'll work with the City Council to amend the Building Code so that up to 20 percent of all new public parking spaces will be wired and ready for electric vehicles."
Outgoing Mayor Bloomberg would like to see these parking spaces and charging stations installed within the next seven years. Zoning laws in the city require the construction of new parking spaces along with new building construction. In New York, this usually comes about in the form of parking garages under or next to the building.
Reaching Mayor Bloomberg's numbers would be no easy task. Charging station installation projects in other cities have shown that building codes, utility cooperation and construction permitting can slow or impede installation of EV charging stations on public streets.
The biggest question will be: Who's going to pay for it? Private companies have been installing public charging stations in NYC since 2010 and will now be asked to carry more weight - whether that be through parking garages, residential dwellings, employers or retail outlets - to reach Mayor Bloomberg's target. Of course, if they can make money off of the stations, that weight will be the coins in their pockets. At least one such company, ChargePoint, is on board and called Bloomberg's plan "a comprehensive and bold effort to drive EV adoption in the city." You can read the PR below.
Continue reading NYC Mayor Bloomberg ready for massive increase in EV parking lots
NYC Mayor Bloomberg ready for massive increase in EV parking lots originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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