EV Charger Installations Rocket In NYC and Westchester Thanks to Con Edison Support
EV Chargers Backed by PowerReady Incentives Tripled in Q3 2022; Market Is Accelerating to Address Range Anxiety, Encourage EV Adoption
The number of electric vehicle chargers supported by Con Edison’s PowerReady program grew sharply in recent months, in a promising sign for the future of clean transportation in the nation’s largest city.
Con Edison’s PowerReady program opened in 2020, offering financial support to developers building EV charging stations. Installations grew modestly at first but have multiplied in 2022 as the market has picked up speed.
The number of installed and operating EV chargers supported by PowerReady more than tripled in the three months to September, reaching 1,838, according to Con Edison’s latest Clean Energy Update. Since then, the number has soared past 2,200 and the growth continues.
Con Edison intends to support approximately 19,000 EV chargers by 2025 and 400,000 by 2035, to help meet demand as the number of EVs on New York’s roads grows.
“The market for EV chargers is beginning to blossom in New York,” said Gregory Elcock, Con Edison’s Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Distributed Resource Integration. “PowerReady was designed to accelerate this climate-critical market and that’s exactly what we see happening on the ground. The many thousands of charge points already installed and coming soon to New York City and Westchester County will ease concerns about range anxiety and help to fuel EV adoption.”
The shift to EVs on New York’s roads means less tailpipe pollution locally and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. Con Edison is building a grid to deliver 100 percent clean power by 2040, ensuring that EVs deliver significant environmental benefits compared to vehicles that run on fossil fuels.
Nurturing New York’s Market for EV Chargers
PowerReady offers financial incentives to prepare sites for EV charger installation, with additional support for projects in disadvantaged communities.
- According to the Clean Energy Update, PowerReady supported the installation of 1,716 Level 2 (L2) chargers through September, and another 122 DC fast chargers. The number of EV plugs installed under PowerReady reflects installed and operating chargers.
- L2 chargers provide approximately 20 miles of driving range for each hour of charging, while DC fast chargers offer 180 miles of range or more for each hour plugged in.
- The vast majority of DC fast chargers built under PowerReady are publicly accessible. The outer boroughs of New York City and Westchester account for 90 percent of DC fast chargers built so far, but more are coming in Manhattan.
- More than half of L2 plugs installed under PowerReady are within or near a disadvantaged community.
Con Edison seeks to encourage a dynamic, competitive and diverse market for EV chargers, with a mixture of publicly accessible plugs and those located at residential buildings and businesses.
In addition to PowerReady, Con Edison supports EV adoption through a number of other programs, including SmartCharge New York, which is a managed charging program that aims to reduce stress on the grid from EV charging, and through a partnership with NYC Department of Transportation and charging company Flo that installed curbside chargers in all five boroughs.
Con Edison Customers Building Solar and Batteries
Published quarterly, the Clean Energy Update tracks deployment of key technologies across Con Edison’s service area, with the aim of making it easier to follow New York’s clean energy transformation.
Con Edison’s customers built another 24 megawatts of solar-power capacity during the third quarter, lifting the total to 459 megawatts spread across nearly 50,000 individual systems. Battery storage capacity rose to 23.5 megawatts.
Con Edison supports New York’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions statewide by 2050. The company is building a reliable, resilient and dynamic smart grid that pairs local clean energy resources, such as rooftop solar and batteries, with large-scale renewable generators located across the state and region.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $66 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam, and serves 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. Through Consolidated Edison Inc.’s subsidiary, Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, the company is the second-largest owner of solar electric projects in North America.