NYC is putting 600 new EV charging points right at the curb
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- NYC DOT will install 600 new curbside EV charging points across all five boroughs over the next three years, expanding its PlugNYC network from 88 to nearly 700 Level 2 ports
- First proposed locations span Soundview and Unionport in the Bronx; Rego Park, Forest Hills, and Far Rockaway in Queens; Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn; the Upper West Side and Washington Heights in Manhattan; and Stapleton on Staten Island
- NYC DOT will prioritize densely populated neighborhoods with limited off-street parking and areas with many Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed drivers, noting half of NYC car owners park on the street
- Existing demand is already intense — the 88 current curbside chargers are occupied by EVs more than 70% of the time, with some approaching 99% utilization, and four of the five busiest stations sit in Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens
- Each new PlugNYC station will have at least four charging points across two posts, and only EVs actively charging will be allowed to park in the designated spaces
- EV adoption context: EVs account for 8.3% of new vehicle registrations in NYC, and taxi and rideshare drivers complete roughly 3 million electric trips monthly
- The expansion includes a 'dig once' approach adding electrical connections for e-bike charging cabinets, electrified bike-share docks, cargo bike charging, or secure bike parking, and is paired with 92 fast-charging and 180 Level 2 points at city-owned lots and garages
Why it matters: Roughly half of NYC car owners lack off-street parking and depend on curbside infrastructure to charge, yet the city's 88 existing ports sit above 70% utilization — so the jump to nearly 700 ports addresses a binding constraint on EV adoption for ordinary households and the city's 3-million-trip-per-month taxi and rideshare segment.
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