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Utilities say New York has sped up EV charger roll‑out but warn system upgrades, permits and supply chains are limiting faster progress
Summary
Utilities told the Assembly that New York has accelerated passenger‑vehicle charger installation in recent years but warned that highway fast charging and truck depot electrification will require multi‑year grid upgrades, clearer proactive planning and fewer permitting bottlenecks before the state can support broad medium/heavy‑duty electrification.
A joint public hearing of the Assembly Transportation and Energy Committees heard detailed utility testimony about current charging deployments and what is needed to ready New York’s electric grid for more electric vehicles. Utility witnesses said the state has moved faster in the last three years on passenger‑vehicle chargers but cautioned that highway corridor fast chargers and medium‑ and heavy‑duty truck charging demand larger, longer‑lead investments.
National Grid’s Director of Transportation Electrification, Brian Wilkie, told the committees that “New York state has made notable progress in accelerating charging deployment in the last 3 years.” He said National Grid’s make‑ready programs have supported thousands of ports and have helped create a contractor ecosystem to install chargers. Wilkie added the company has filed corridor studies and received federal grants to plan megawatt‑scale truck charging sites across the Northeast.
Raghu Sudhakara, vice president for distributed resource integration at Con Edison, told lawmakers that scaling charging in dense Downstate territories “often requires meaningful upgrades to the grid, including transformers, substation upgrades and distribution upgrades.” Sudhakara said Con Edison’s Idlewild project in Queens is intended to prepare the local grid for bus electrification and airport‑related vehicle needs, and the company expects growth in both level‑2 (slower) and DC fast chargers through its Power Ready (make‑ready) and smart‑charge programs.
Central Hudson, NYSEG/RG&E and other utilities described similar programs and progress. Central Hudson said its EV make‑ready program targets 2,037 level‑2 chargers and 416 DC fast chargers in its territory by 2025 and reported early installations and fleet assessment services. NYSEG and RG&E said their make‑ready incentives have supported more than 2,100 chargers, including 259 DC fast chargers, and noted a recent petition seeking approval to invest in transmission and distribution projects to add capacity across Upstate New York.
Utilities and other witnesses described three recurring constraints: first, the need for upstream grid capacity and multiyear transmission/distribution projects in constrained corridors; second, long lead times and supply‑chain limits for large equipment such as distribution transformers; and third, permitting and local approvals that can hold projects beyond utility timelines.
Speakers urged the committees to keep the state’s proactive planning and make‑ready programs in place so the market for installers and contractors continues to mature. They said coordinated, multi‑agency planning — including regional collaboration across state lines for freight corridors — is essential to deliver corridor chargers that can support truck electrification.
Ending: Utilities emphasized that the near‑term focus is to keep the make‑ready market healthy so contractors and fleets can continue to connect chargers while state agencies and the Public Service Commission finalize proactive planning frameworks for larger capacity projects.
