electric vehicle charging stations

Genesee County Planning Board Director Felipe Oltramari spoke optimistically this week about National Grid's ability to hook up the electric charging stations behind the county courthouse in downtown Batavia, and the company showed up on Wednesday to do the job.

Charging stations for electric vehicles will be available at the site on Ellicott Street as part of the city's and county's plan to accommodate the newer "green" vehicles being driven within and through the city from various points in the region.

The city of Batavia has 88 public charging stations, 19 of which are free, according to plugshare.com.  Batavia has a total of 24 DC Fast Chargers. 

Other locations include Towne Center on Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel on Park Road, Quicklee’s 27 on Oak Street, City Church on East Main Street, and Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke. 

For the complete map, go HERE.  

UPDATED 10/17/24: Oltramari offered some additional information about the chargers and related stations in the county. DC fast chargers are the orange markers on the map linked in the article. The only other DC fast chargers in Batavia are the 12 Tesla stations (12 plugs up to 250 kW each) at Town Centre (Target Plaza), and the two stations (two plugs up to 62.5kW each) at Quicklee’s. 

As far as Genesee County, there are two DC fast charging stations (four plugs up to 350 kW) at the Flying J in Pembroke and another one (one plug up to 100 kW) at the Ontario Thruway Travel Plaza in LeRoy. There are also seven stations/plugs under construction at the Pembroke Thruway Travel Plaza. Of course, the Thruway stations are priced higher (like everything else at the travel plaza), he said.

There will be three (six plugs up to 180 kW) Courts Facility stations. DC chargers are faster because the EV does not have to convert the electricity from AC to DC. DC fast chargers also have higher electric loads (kW) which will charge an EV in 20 minutes to an hour, he said. 

Generally, the more kilowatts, the faster the charge, but how fast also depends on the vehicle. Most EVs can charge at 120–150 kW, but some older or cheaper EVs can only charge at 40-50 kW. Also, some chargers (like the new ones are at the Courts Facility) have two plugs per station where there is “dynamic distribution,” which means if two cars are sharing a station they will also share the electric load and each will get up to 90 kW.

At least one question that readers and The Batavian had about the new electric vehicle charging stations on the west side of town has been answered: they are open for business.

Two Teslas were captured in action this weekend at the station on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia. Emails and a phone call this past week to Lisa Appelbaum, project developer of Charging Infrastructure, were not returned, nor were emails to Tesla's Press Office returned for comment. 

Photo by Howard Owens.

Tesla, apparently, has installed 12 electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot of Batavia Towne Center off Veterans Memorial Drive.

Neither Tesla, which makes electric cars, nor COR Development, owner of the shopping center, responded to requests for additional information.

The Tesla website lists Batavia as a future location for electric vehicle charging stations but says the stations won't open until the second quarter of 2023.

Photo by Howard Owens, taken on Thursday.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced that $5 million is available as part of the first rebate designed specifically for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at workplaces, office buildings, multi-family apartment buildings, and public locations such as theaters, malls, parks and retail locations.

The installation of charging stations for public use supports the Governor's ambitious clean energy goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

"New York continues to lead the nation in reducing our carbon footprint by aggressively investing in clean transportation methods," Governor Cuomo said. "By expanding public access to electric vehicle charging stations, this program will make it more affordable for New Yorkers to make the switch to an environmentally friendly electric vehicle, resulting in a cleaner, greener New York for all."

"We're expanding access to electric vehicle charging stations and investing in installation initiatives to promote electric vehicle use," Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. "Communities across the state are taking advantage of funding and programs to support electric vehicles, and this funding as part of the first rebate for the installation of charging stations at office buildings, apartment buildings, and other locations continues to advance our clean energy goals and help make communities greener and healthier for future generations."

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the new Charge Ready NY initiative provides a $4,000 rebate per charging port for public or private employers, building owners, municipalities and nonprofit organizations to install Level 2 charging stations. Depending on installation costs and the model/make of the charging station, installers can save up to 80 percent of a typical installation's total cost. Level 2 stations provide up to 25 miles of electric range to cars for each hour they are charging. Charging stations must be installed at one of the following types of locations:

• Public parking lot: must have at least ten parking spaces and be open to the general public at least 12 hours per day for at least five days per week. Examples include municipal or privately-operated parking lots or garages, parking at retail locations, shopping malls, restaurants, parks, transit stations, schools and other destination locations.
• Workplace: must have at least 10 parking spaces that primarily serve a minimum of 15 employees who work at or near the lot. Examples include office buildings, universities, schools, and hospitals.
• Multi-unit housing: must have at least eight parking spaces that primarily serve a building with five or more housing units, such as apartment buildings, condominiums and co-ops.

Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York Richard Kauffman said, "Governor Cuomo is building a comprehensive electric vehicle and charging infrastructure across the state to support the electrification of the transportation sector -- the biggest emitter of carbon than any other industry. New York is rapidly becoming a leader in clean transportation technologies and deployment across the state and today, we're making another move to get us closer to our meeting our emissions reductions goals."

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Alicia Barton said,"Through initiatives like Charge Ready NY, Governor Cuomo is helping New Yorkers join the clean transportation revolution that is taking place in our state. Combined with the Drive Clean Rebate, which provides rebates for the purchase of electric vehicles, this initiative is helping reduce emissions by making cleaner modes of transportation a possibility for more and more drivers."

NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said, "The build-out of an extensive electric car charging network is key to getting more New Yorkers to drive low-emission vehicles and bringing New York State that much closer to its clean energy goals. Our new Evolve NY electric vehicle initiative focuses on addressing infrastructure barriers and our ongoing joint efforts with NYSERDA will help bring more fast chargers to qualifying businesses and nonprofits through our workplace charging programs across the state."

Charge Ready NY rebates can be combined with New York State's 50 percent tax credit for installing charging stations. The tax credit is applied after therebate amount received from NYSERDA. Charge Ready NY rebates cannot be combined with other New York State charging station rebate programs offered by NYSERDA, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York Power Authority, or other state entities.

The transportation sector is one of the largest producers of energy related greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. As a result, the state has multiple initiatives and programs designed to reduce these emissions and support the expansion of electric vehicles. For example,  the Drive Clean Rebate initiative provides New York residents with rebates of up to $2,000 for the purchase of a new or leased electric car. Since its launch, more than 9,000 New York residents have received rebates totaling more than $12 million.

This new initiative supports the Governor's Charge NY 2.0 initiative, which aims to have at least 10,000 charging stations across New York by the end of 2021, so clean cars can travel across the State with the opportunity to recharge along the way. The initiative also builds on the Governor's Charge NY initiative, which was launched in 2013 and has a goal of having 30,000 to 40,000 electric cars on the road by the end of 2018.

To complement Charge Ready NY, which enables public and private organizations to apply directly for rebates, the Governor recently announced a $250 million commitment by the New York Power Authority to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and expand electric vehicle fast charging stations along key transportation corridors and in New York City airports.

Entities interested in installing a charging station at their location can visit NYSERDA's website at www.nyserda.ny.gov for more information.

Reforming the Energy Vision

Reforming the Energy Vision is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York's economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency and requiring 50 percent of the state's electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030.

Already, REV has driven growth of more than 1,000 percent in the statewide solar market, improved energy affordability for 1.65 million low-income customers, and created thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other clean tech sectors. REV is ensuring New York reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and achieves the internationally recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050.

To learn more about REV, including the Governor's $5 billion investment in clean energy technology and innovation, visit rev.ny.gov