New York

In January, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said she would propose legislation to shift to 100% electric school buses by 2035. She also said she would propose legislation to require that all new school bus purchases will be zero-emissions by 2027. That legislation is now about to become law.

General Motors (GM) shared plans to invest nearly $154 million to renovate its Lockport Components plant in western New York to support stator module production. These key components for electric motors will eventually serve GM brand electric trucks and SUVs built upon the company’s Ultium Platform.

New York State governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced this week that more than $12 million will be added to the state’s Drive Clean Rebate program, which helps consumers save up to $2,000 on the purchase of an electric vehicle.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced that it has finalized contracts with BP and Equinor for the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 offshore wind farms.

The New York Bight auction will be the first offshore wind lease sale in over three years. Once built, the project will provide thousands of new jobs and enough clean, renewable energy to power millions of homes for decades. So, of course, a clueless gaggle of New Jersey NIMBYs has a problem with it.

This holiday season, New Yorkers will be able to visit friends and loved ones around the city in a new fleet of bright yellow Mach-E taxis, provided by EV fleet startup Gravity, Inc. The Mustang Mach-E’s were customized with monitors and panoramic roofs for NYC passengers along with AI for driver safety. The fleet represents a new electrified generation of the Big Apple’s iconic yellow taxis.

More than 70 large companies and investors representing $30 billion in assets sent a letter today to governors across the US urging the acceleration of the switch to zero-emission trucks, vans, and other large commercial vehicles. Will their letter make an impact?

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• Two huge infrastructure plans will power New York City with wind, solar, and hydropower.
• China pledges to end funding for overseas coal plants.
• UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) recently shared extensive plans to support the influx of EVs in the area by deploying four DC fast chargers as part of its city-operated fast-charging network. With nearly 50,000 chargers planned by 2030 as part of an ambitious plan, NYC’s government looks to build one of the largest municipal charging networks in the country.

September 9 update: Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has signed new legislation to support the state’s efforts outlined below. The legislation sets a new goal for all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York State to be zero emissions by 2035.

If adopted, the regulation would accelerate zero-emission truck sales, resulting in improved air quality throughout New York, especially areas more significantly affected by transportation-related pollution.

Volvo Car USA recently visited the FDNY in Mahwah, New Jersey, to donate a fully electric XC40 Recharge to the department for post-accident safety training. While first responders like the FDNY are no strangers to helping safely remove citizens from damaged vehicles, BEVs present new safety measures to be aware of to keep both EV passengers and firefighters safe.

Lucid Motors has opened the mystery boxes that began popping up around NYC last week to reveal its upcoming Air sedan. The move is a kickoff to an ad campaign celebrating the recently approved SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp. IV (CCIV) to build hype around the flagship EV from Lucid set to deliver sometime this year.

One of the US’s largest energy companies, Con Edison, has announced a contract with Centrica Business Solutions to transform a lot in Brooklyn, New York, into an energy hub complete with 18 350kW EV chargers and a battery energy storage system (ESS). Con Edison claims this will be the first hub in New York City that combines both energy storage and EV charging.

A recent announcement from battery swap startup Ample, has revealed a partnership with Sally to help transition ride-share, taxi, and last-mile delivery drivers toward EVs using Ample’s battery swap technology. As a part of the partnership, the companies will also co-develop unique centers to sit alongside battery swap stations, so drivers can use the restroom and rest while their EV gets a new modular battery pack.

EV startup Faraday Future is celebrating the grand opening of what it’s calling the FF Futurist Experience in New York City, allowing the public to see its upcoming FF 91 EV up-close for the first time. This experience will coincide with Faraday Future’s pending SPAC merger to promote its flagship vehicle while the deal finalizes.

New York State has had a complicated relationship with electric bicycles and scooters, and nowhere has that relationship been rockier than in New York City. E-bikes and e-scooters have faced legal gray areas and outright bans for years, but the day has finally arrived for these convenient forms of alternative transportation to be legalized.

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Electric vehicle charging in New York City is going to be expensive, and New Yorkers will pay for it even if they don’t use it. Consolidated Edison (ConEd) wants to build 60 curbside electric vehicle charging stations with its ratepayers’ money, and sell that electricity to ratepayers two times over in the same transaction for prices that would equate to between $3.50 and $10 per gallon of gas.

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Laws against idling vehicle engines have been around for decades. However, enforcement has generally been lax or nonexistent. But now New York City and the District of Columbia are changing that by enlisting residents in the battle against vehicle emissions. NYC even has a generous bounty program where you can make thousands of dollars in your spare time.

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Electric bicycle and e-scooter fans in New York had their hopes dashed after Governor Cuomo vetoed a bill set to legalize the two-wheeled EVs across the state.

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Back in June, New York’s legislature – the State Assembly & State Senate – passed a “Right-to-Charge” bill, which would prohibit condominiums, home-owners associations (HOAs) and the like from unreasonably restricting the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. The bill, however, sat there until yesterday, when it was finally delivered to the Governor for his signature. Also yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded on Twitter offering to help New York Times best-selling author Nnedi Okorafor. Ms. Okorafor had tweeted on November 1 that her HOA had turned down her request. Coincidence or not, New Yorkers shouldn’t rejoice quite yet. Under New York rules, because the legislature is not currently in session, if Governor Andrew Cuomo fails to sign the bill in the next 29 days, the effect is the same as if he vetoed the bill.

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“The batteries on this bus go bi-directional!” That’s what kids in White Plains School District, just north of New York City, can boast this back-to-school season. The kids already enjoyed riding five clean, quiet all-electric Lion C-type Electric School Buses last school year, and now those same buses have been fitted with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech to allow the bus to serve as backup stationary storage for the grid when parked. As with most things electric, the east coast is following California’s lead, where kids in the Torrance Unified School Districts began breathing easy on V2G electric school buses in 2016.
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The five commissioners making up the State of New York’s Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities in the state, have told Tesla that unless it opens up its Supercharger network to other vehicles, its stations will get no relief from demand charges on the electricity rates they pay. Instead, only newly built stations that use “commonly accepted non-proprietary standardized plug-types” will get relief.

The commissioners clarified that Tesla could continue to offer its proprietary plug, but would have to offer equally powerful non-proprietary plugs at the same spot to get rate relief. This means that Tesla’s made-in-Buffalo V3 Superchargers will be discriminated against in their home state.

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