New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the selection of Wildflower, a New York City-based developer that creates urban infrastructure for sustainability, to build the largest publicly accessible electric vehicle charging station.
The development will include an initial 65 EV-ready charging stations, including 12 rapid charging stations, available 24/7 and can expand over time to support other vehicles including electric trucks, especially as the demand for these sites grows.
“This project will deliver a cleaner, more sustainable and more connected city for all New Yorkers with 24/7 public access to electric vehicle Charging in this critical area of the city,” says Adam Gordon, Wildflower Founder.
An “EV ready” site means it will be capable of easily supporting additional electric vehicle charging stations.
The project is anticipated to complete construction in 2025.
“The development of this vehicle charging station will be a giant step forward in our efforts to reduce vehicle emissions and to bring about a brighter and greener future for our borough and city,” indicates Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
The facility, once completed, is initially estimated to charge 1,000 vehicles per year, with potential for growth depending on market demand.
The EV chargers are expected to serve all types of vehicles, with focus on the electric truck market as it matures and help avoid nearly 78,000 metrics tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2040.
Electrical conduits will also be installed throughout the site, to allow for additional charging stations to be added over time as demand grows.
With electric vehicles becoming more common in New York City and a shortage of charging in this part of the city, current drivers have a limited number of charging stations in the area.
Through Wildflower’s development of this electric vehicle charging station, southeastern Jamaica and surrounding markets in Queens will become one of the leading electric vehicles charging infrastructures in the city.
The charging station will also help relieve the parking pressures in the surrounding neighborhood and around JFK Airport.
“As we transition for-hire vehicles, including those that service JFK Airport, to wheelchair accessible or zero-emissions by 2030 under Mayor Adams’ Green Rides Initiative, charging access like this is crucial – and innovative ideas like EV-ready sites are made possible by strong public-private partnerships like that between the city and Wildflower,” states New York City Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala.
“The Mayor announced the Green Economy Action Plan just three weeks ago, and this project is major progress on one of the most important goals: activating public sites for EV charging,” says Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor of Housing, Economic Development and Workforce.
“By 2040 New York City’s economy is projected to have 400,000 green jobs and this project near JFK exemplifies the true power of EV charging, a technological innovation that will reduce carbon emissions and lead to thousands of more green collar jobs to design, install, maintain and upgrade critical climate infrastructure,” she adds.
Wildflower’s electric vehicle charging development will serve as a critical component of New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan announced last month that aims to activate electric vehicle charging infrastructures and enable low-carbon alternatives in the transportation sector.
“Wildflower’s electric vehicle charging development is a prime example of how committed New York City is in meeting our goals in the Green Economy Action Plan while positioning the city as a global model in sustainability and carbon neutrality,” states Andrew Kimball, NYCEDC President & CEO.
This first-of-its-kind plan announced by Mayor Eric Adams, NYCEDC, and the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYCTalent) lays out a series of commitments and strategies that will bolster economic growth, create thousands of jobs, encourage public-private partnerships, and train and position New Yorkers, particularly those from environmentally disadvantaged communities, to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected green collar jobs in New York City by 2040.
The station will also build on Mayor Adams’ Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery and PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done.
“This development will deliver a significant number of EV chargers to help power our electric vehicle future and advance the Adams Administration’s investments to build over 20 stations citywide,” indicates NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
Recently, the city announced several efforts towards electric vehicles and infrastructure by securing federal grants for the purchase of 180 electric school buses and the construction of the “Recharge Hub,” the first community-driven freight focused electric vehicle charging depot in the nation.
The city also activated the first of five public e-battery charging stations in Manhattan’s Cooper Square to support e-bike use and prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires.
“These stations help with that goal and get polluting trucks – which disproportionately burden Black and Brown communities – off our streets. 90 percent of goods destined for New York City are transported by truck and almost all the trucks are diesel-powered, which is why we need infrastructure that animates the clean truck market,” says Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson.
“The creation of this new station at JFK Airport is a victory for making electric vehicles more accessible for New Yorkers, and by turning a former manufacturing site into local hub for low carbon transportation alternatives, we are helping fulfill the vision of the Green Economy Action Plan first laid out last month,” said Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development Abby Jo Sigal.
“The ambitious plan for JFK North, with its focus on electric vehicle accessibility, sets a powerful example for sustainable transportation. We’re excited to embark on this groundbreaking journey,” says State Senator James Sanders Jr.
“Charging an EV can be a challenge in New York City as many people do not have access to a home charger. We must address this gap by expanding access to public EV charging in Assembly District 31, Southeast Queens, and across the five boroughs,” says Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson.
“This southwest corner of Queens Community Board 13 has been simply an overgrowth of weeds serving no value to the community or city. In this instance, NYC/EDC thoughtfully found a business concept that both develops an otherwise useless property while looking forward to the future with something necessary to address environmental concerns,” said District Manager Queens Community Board 13 Mark McMillan.
“I am thrilled to see our vision for sustainable urban development taking shape with the establishment of the largest and first EV station in New York City. This transformative project not only underscores our commitment to environmental stewardship but also represents a significant milestone in advancing clean energy solutions within our community,” said Executive Director of GatewayJFK James Johnson.
“The NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announcement of the selected developer for the JFK North RFP Project, a 2.3-acre land parcel between Nassau Expressway and Rockaway Boulevard, is of community interest,” said Rosedale Preservation Society President Sandra Long.
In the Fall of 2022, NYCEDC released an RFP seeking respondents to purchase and develop an industrially zoned 2.6-acre parcel of land located to the north of JFK Airport between Nassau Expressway and Rockaway Boulevard, adjacent to the Bartlett Dairy distribution facility.
