State to add 71 electric car charging stations

Two New York State agencies on Thursday said they are installing 71 electric vehicle charging stations at business and nonprofits throughout the state, 30 of which will be on Long Island.

The locations belong to participants in ReCharge NY, a program administered by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) that provides qualifying companies and organizations with lower cost energy in exchange for commitments to retain or create jobs.

The charging stations, which can each charge two cars, are being installed through a partnership between NYPA and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which is covering the $8,000 cost of each station.   The agencies will provide charging stations to ReCharge NY power recipients interested in advancing their business' sustainability and environmental goals, officials said.

New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health, the largest private employer in the state with 70,000 employees, is receiving 24 dual port (two car) charging stations at five of its facilities. Fifteen will be at three Northwell facilities on Long Island, Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Huntington Hospital.

Northwell said the charging stations should be installed and operational by year's end. Employees do not have to pay to use them.

Northwell is a longtime ReCharge NY participant, with 25 facilities receiving low-cost power allocations that support the creation or retention of more than 46,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in capital investment commitments. More than 31,000 of those jobs and $1 billion in capital investments are tied to commitments from Northwell facilities on Long Island.

Northwell's "effort is a significant piece of the state’s collective effort to transform our transportation infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, greatly reducing our carbon footprint and taking significant steps toward achieving a clean energy economy," Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA's president and CEO, said in a statement.

Dayton T. Brown, an engineering and logistics services company with an office in Bohemia, and Precipart, an engineering and manufacturing firm in Farmingdale, each received four electric vehicle charging stations, according to NYPA.

Hi-Tech Pharmacal in Amityville, Oerlikon Metco in Westbury, Tebbens Steel in Calverton and NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola also are receiving charging stations, according to NYPA.

ReCharge NY supports nearly 200 businesses and nonprofit organizations on Long Island, directly supporting the creation of more than 2,400 jobs, the retention of more than 72,000 jobs, and more than $2.9 billion in capital investments.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo launched the ReCharge NY initiative to accelerate the installation of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. The initiative supports the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which encourages the adoption of electric vehicles and promotes an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.