Electric vehicle charging in New York City is set to become more available and convenient after a radical curbside charging pilot was announced that would provide a blueprint for New York to roll out 10,000 on-street chargers by 2030.
To remove one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption for the 50% of New Yorkers without private driveways, Connected Kerb, the UK-based electric vehicle infrastructure company, has been selected to deliver on-street EV chargers for a ground-breaking project in New York.
This project forms part of the DOT Studio – a collaboration between the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Newlab, focused on applying emerging technologies to advance planning, policy, operations, and real-time management of transportation across New York City in line with the City’s Vision Zero and sustainability goals.
The findings from the pilot will inform wider EV charging rollouts across New York City, helping to realize its goal of installing 10,000 curbside chargers by 2030, and electrifying 20% of municipal parking bays by 2025.
Three chargepoint providers – Connected Kerb, Char.gy, and Voltpost – are participating and collaborating in the project.
Connected Kerb was selected for the project, due to the flexibility of its charger infrastructure – which is often integrated into street furniture such as bollards – as well as the capability to integrate other smart technologies, such as 5G, IoT (Internet of Things) and air quality sensors, to demonstrate how EV charging can be integrated with other critical smart infrastructure rollouts required in urban areas.
The power infrastructure of Connected Kerb’s chargers is also installed below ground, offering a longer lifespan by protecting critical infrastructure, and enabling the company to add more plug sockets above ground as demand grows in the future.
Connected Kerb will receive funding to install its EV charging points and is currently exploring locations at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to deliver a ‘living lab’ that will demonstrate Connected Kerb’s ‘smart city’ infrastructure. This involves using the company’s chargers – which also support a number of IoT (Internet of Things) and telecommunication applications – to showcase how the EV revolution can support the rollout of other cutting-edge public access technology in urban environments. Pilot planning and design is underway now, with the goal of launching by fall 2022.
Steve Richardson and Nick Dobie, Co-Founders of Connected Kerb, said: “There are around two million light duty vehicles in New York City, accounting for 80% of transport emissions. New York City DOT has established ambitious goals to eliminate these emissions by boosting electric vehicle adoption, and The DOT Studio project will provide crucial a blueprint for how to deliver world-leading charging infrastructure to support that goal – supercharging EV uptake, cutting emissions and improving public health.
“We’re incredibly excited to be working with New York City’s DOT and Newlab to support the decarbonization of the City’s transport system. We’re confident that this pilot will not only fast track New York’s EV charging rollout, but also prove our technology in America, and provide a springboard for growth into the future.”
Connected Kerb has selected Charge Infrastructure, a division of Charge Enterprises, to be its preferred installation provider for this project. Charge Infrastructure offers end-to-end services for EV charging ecosystems, from project management to installation and maintenance.
The Newlab pilot project will provide a testbed to solve this challenge by proving that accessible and reliable charging infrastructure can be deployed in some of New York’s most densely populated urban areas, where space is at a premium. It will also show that charging infrastructure can be adapted to local requirements like electrical standards and certifications.
The pilot is part of DOT’s ambition to steer the EV charging market before there is enough EV demand for the private sector to take over fully. This will be critical to ensuring that chargers are distributed equitably around the city, rather than concentrated in high-income areas.
“Enabling greater EV adoption is critical to achieving New York City’s net zero goals, and we are pleased to collaborate with NYC DOT and Connected Kerb through the DOT Studio to help realize the vision for a more sustainable, resilient and equitable city,” said Shaina Horowitz, VP of Product and Programs at Newlab. “We expect the pilot to provide invaluable data on how to most effectively deploy EV charging infrastructure in densely populated areas and make scalable EV use possible, with potential implications for both NYC and cities around the world.”
