NYC Parking Spaces Face New Competition

NEW YORK CITY— The City plans to add 600 curbside electric vehicle charging points over the next three years.

The expansion will bring the City’s curbside network from 88 Level 2 charging points to nearly 700 across all five boroughs, according to the New York City Department of Transportation.

Level 2 chargers can recharge an electric vehicle while it remains parked for several hours.

The first wave of new chargers will target neighborhoods with dense housing, limited off-street parking and large numbers of drivers licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Planned areas include

• Manhattan
  • Washington Heights
  • Upper West Side
• Queens
  • Rego Park
  • Forest Hills
  • Far Rockaway
• Brooklyn
  • Red Hook
  • Carroll Gardens
  • Bedford-Stuyvesant

The city is also seeking public input on the proposed locations through an online portal.

Why Does The City Need More Chargers?

The City’s 88 curbside charging points are occupied by electric vehicles more than 70 percent of the time, with some locations approaching 99 percent occupancy.

They actively deliver electricity more than 85 percent of the time they are occupied, according to the agency.

Electric vehicles accounted for 8.3 percent of new vehicle registrations in New York City, the agency reported.

“The expansion of electric vehicle charging makes the transition to clean transportation more practical and accessible for New Yorkers,” said Louise Yeung, the city’s chief climate officer.

What Will Drivers Pay?

The city has not yet announced a final price for the new chargers.

The Department of Transportation said it will set prices with affordability and turnover in mind. Drivers will be able to pay through multiple apps or by tapping a credit card, with fees based on the amount of electricity used.

Only electric vehicles plugged into a charger may legally occupy the designated spaces. Vehicles parked there without charging can be ticketed.

What Happens To The Curb Space?

The chargers will occupy space along city streets, where parking, bus lanes, bike infrastructure, loading areas and other uses compete for limited curb space.

The Department of Transportation said it will coordinate charger locations with pedestrian, bicycle, public-space and bus projects to preserve flexibility for future street changes.

“The Mamdani administration is taking aggressive action to address the climate crisis and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” Commissioner Mike Flynn said. “But for those who still drive, we need to dramatically accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.”

The curbside expansion comes as the city builds additional charging capacity at municipal parking facilities.

The Department of Transportation plans 92 new fast-charging points and 180 additional Level 2 charging points at city-owned parking fields and garages.

The city launched its curbside Level 2 charging pilot in 2021 with Con Edison.

The network has continued operating after the pilot ended, and the existing chargers remain available across the five boroughs.