NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced an expansion on Wednesday, Oct. 15, of the city’s network of public electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers with the opening of a new, public fast charging station at DOT’s White Plains Road municipal parking field in the Pelham Parkway / Bronx Park East section of the Bronx.

 

DOT officials said the new fast charging station, located at 2071 White Plains Road, will help support the city’s transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles and is in a community where drivers licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are highly concentrated.

 

They said TLC drivers can sign up for a 15 percent discount on charging fees and expanded access to fast charging will help achieve the Adams administration’s Green Rides Initiative’s goal to make all high-volume for-hire vehicle trips zero-emission or wheelchair accessible by 2030.

 

“Achieving a greener transportation future means investing in electric vehicle chargers that will help us say goodbye to fossil fuels! As a former cab driver myself, I understand how important it is to equitably invest in communities where many for-hire vehicles drivers live,” said Rodriguez. “I’m proud to say that East-Bronxites will benefit significantly from these new electric vehicle chargers, and we look forward to continuing this critical work to fulfill the Adams administration’s ambitious goals.”

 

NYC TLC Commissioner and Chair David Do said every new charging hub makes the city cleaner, more affordable, and more sustainable. “These chargers will be much appreciated by TLC drivers, who can sign up for a 15 percent discount through the EV Connect app,” he said. “Nearly 1,000 live in this neighborhood alone, with another 1,500 living the neighborhoods immediately next to it. We look forward to more Bronx hubs opening up in the near-future.”

 

DOT officials said the department has installed four fast chargers (including three 50 kW units and one 175kW unit) at the facility, capable of providing most electric vehicles with an 80 percent charge in as little as 20 minutes. In addition to the four fast chargers, they said the agency has also installed four Level 2 chargers which can provide most EVs a full charge in six to eight hours.

 

DOT officials went on to say that most of the city’s EV charging stations are concentrated in higher-income neighborhoods in Manhattan and inner Brooklyn and Queens. They said among the boroughs, The Bronx currently has the fewest fast chargers, and added that the latest announcement helps advance the mayor’s PlaNYC goal of ensuring all New Yorkers live within 2.5 miles of a fast charger by 2035.

 

They said the White Plains Road station will meaningfully improve equity of access to fast-charging, increasing the number of New Yorkers who live close to a fast charger from 81 to 88 percent. They said the station is one of many slated to open over the next year at DOT’s municipal parking lots and garages, and progress to date includes the following:

 

• Fast Charging Program: Construction is nearing completion of a fast-charging hub, with four fast chargers and four L2 chargers, at the Bensonhurst Municipal Field, located at 1763 86^th Street, Brooklyn and the station is expected to open this fall. Three more locations, one in Brooklyn, one in Queens, and one in Staten Island, are in the pipeline, with additional groundbreakings expected this year.

 

• NYPA EVolve Partnership: the New York Power Authority (NYPA), through a partnership with NYC DOT and with funding from New York State’s EVolve program, has started construction of fast charging stations with multiple fast chargers at NYC DOT’s Bayside, Flushing 2, Rosedale, and Canarsie parking facilities. Construction at four additional sites—Sunnyside, Rockaway Park, Steinway 1, and Brighton Beach—is expected to begin by the end of the year, with up to two more to follow.

 

• L2 Charging Program: NYC DOT has broken ground on 10 new L2 chargers at the agency’s Steinway 2 parking facility in Astoria, Queens, 8 L2 chargers at College Point, and 6 at the Bensonhurst #2 lot in Brooklyn. Up to five more L2 sites are scheduled to break ground by the end of the year with more to follow.

 

They said the new fast chargers add to the city’s growing network of public charging stations. Prior to this year, they said DOT had three fast-charging stations in operation at the following locations:

• Queens Borough Hall municipal garage in Queens

• Court Square municipal garage in Queens

• The Delancey/Essex municipal garage in Lower Manhattan

 

In addition to these hubs, DOT officials said 100 curbside on-street Level 2 chargers have been installed by the agency in partnership with Con Edison since 2021, “helping New York City spearhead the recent growth in EVs in the state.” They said as of September 2025, 79,036 EVs are registered in NYC, representing 25 percent of all EVs registered in the State.

 

Announced by Adams in October 2024, DOT officials said the Green Rides Initiative outlines annual requirements for Uber and Lyft’s transition to 100 percent zero-emission or WAV trips by 2030. They said the initiative makes New York City the first in the U.S. to commit to this kind of transition and is a key part of the mayor’s “Working People’s Agenda.”

 

They went on to say that Green Rides’ annual targets are designed to ensure a smooth and efficient transition to a cleaner, more accessible fleet by 2030. They added that the original goals of 5 percent in 2024 were set to rise to 15 percent in 2025, but that target was met in January, almost two full years ahead of schedule, with the current number at just over 21 percent.

 

DOT officials said since the beginning of 2024, TLC-licensed, for-hire EVs have driven about 222 million trip-miles and curbed over 55,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. They said that is the equivalent of almost 6.2 million gallons of gasoline consumed, or just over 61 million pounds of burned coal.

 

Justin Driscoll, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority said the addition of convenient fast charging in The Bronx is another step forward toward the city’s and the Power Authority’s goal of reducing pollutants and enhancing quality of life for New Yorkers. “We look forward to continuing to partner with New York City DOT to foster the adoption and implementation of electric vehicles and realizing the environmental benefits of electrified transportation,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Raghu Sudhakara, vice president of eistributed resource generation at Con Edison said through its PowerReady incentive program, Con Ed was helping build a widespread, equitable network of EV chargers to meet the needs of drivers in its territory. “We’re proud to help power the DOT’s new fast chargers in the East Bronx, a community where many for‑hire drivers live, and where access to charging has been limited,” he said. “These chargers will make it easier for drivers to go electric, support the city’s Green Rides Initiative, and improve air quality for residents in an area that has long faced environmental challenges.”

 

Present for the announcement was local State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) who said, “The installation of fast electric vehicle chargers in more working-class neighborhoods is essential. This is a welcomed addition in The Bronx for drivers who like me, have made the transition from a fossil fuel vehicle to an electric vehicle.”

 

He added, “This expanded access will not only incentivize more New Yorkers to make that transition but will help our city move the needle in addressing environmental justice and our zero emissions goals.”

 

Malcom Gray, director of the White Plains Road Business Improvement District (BID), said, “For too long, The Bronx has always been last when it comes to investment and innovation; this new EV fast-charging station shows what it looks like when our borough is finally being put first. It’s more than just an investment in clean energy; it’s an investment in equity, opportunity, and the future of Bronx communities like ours.”

 

Joy Gardner, executive director of Empire Clean Cities, said expanding EV charging in The Bronx was a critical step toward ensuring that all New Yorkers had access to clean, affordable transportation options. “Increasing access to convenient, public charging helps make the switch to electric vehicles easier and more practical for residents, fleets, and small businesses alike, especially in neighborhoods that have long borne the impacts of vehicle emissions,” she said.

 

“Empire Clean Cities applauds NYC DOT’s continued commitment to advancing the city’s clean transportation goals and building a more equitable, sustainable future for every community,” she added.