NYC's Curbside EV Chargers Are Popular — and Often Blocked
Vandalism has been low and usage high, but as the city moves to extend the pilot program, problems remain with gasoline cars hogging the dedicated spots.
A curbside FLO electric-vehicle charger near Central Park West in New York.
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/BloombergIn the three years since New York City began installing curbside chargers for electric cars, demand for the spaces has boomed — both from EV owners looking for a place to plug in and from gas-engine drivers willing to risk a ticket in exchange for street parking.
“We expected moderate demand,” with usage rates around 15%, said Roy Rada, project manager for e-mobility innovation at Consolidated Edison Inc. It’s been “exponentially higher,” he said. The 100 chargers are online 99.9% of the time with an average utilization rate of 72% in 2024, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. That’s an impressive feat, especially since vehicles with internal-combustion engines blocked access to the chargers 20% of the time during the program’s first 18 months.