ALBANY — Construction began last week on the first of five new high-speed electric vehicle charging stations at Stewart’s Shops in the Capital and Adirondacks regions.
The New York Power Authority, which is managing the installation of New York State’s EVolveNY electric vehicle fast charging network, will complete the initial location, 13 miles southeast of Albany in Schodack, in Rensselaer County, by September.
The Schodack site, at 1811 Columbia Turnpike, will have three 150kW Direct Current Fast Charger stations and one 350kW charger, which is capable of charging a compatible vehicle at speeds up to 20 miles per minute. Two of the charging stations will be equipped with both fast charging connectors, Combined Charging System and CHAdeMO, so all electric vehicles, including Tesla cars with an adapter, can plug in.
“More New Yorkers are opting to drive emission-free electric vehicles which helps to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from the transportation sector,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday, July 20. “By working with Stewart’s Shops, and other private entities to strategically deploy charging infrastructure across the state, we will all benefit from an expanded network that will make it easier and more affordable to drive electric, resulting in reduced emissions and improved air quality in communities throughout New York.”
The five Stewart’s EV charging sites, set to open by the end of 2021, are the latest e-mobility advance that will help New York State meet the Governor’s nation-leading clean energy goals, including decarbonizing the transportation sector and reducing the overall greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050.
The five fast-charging stations will offer a total of 20 chargers. The fast chargers can be used by any make or model of electric vehicle and can fully charge an EV in as little as 20 minutes. NYPA will construct, own and operate the hubs in coordination with Stewart’s site hosts. The first location, in Schodack, will be the tenth installation in NYPA’s EVolve NY network. One parking space in Schodack meets ADA compliance.
“NYPA’s EVolve NY network is expanding across New York State making it easier and more convenient for drivers to power their vehicles with clean energy sources,” NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said. “Partnering with Stewart’s and similar businesses that operate multiple sites will accelerate our efforts to promote emissions-free transportation and advance the state’s clean energy goals.”
Stewart’s Shops, a family owned and operated chain of convenience stores and gas stations in New York and Vermont, started as an ice cream shop in 1945 and has grown to 345 locations. As part of NYPA’s EVolve NY clean energy initiative, additional charging stations will open in the fall at Stewart’s Shops locations throughout New York state in Moreau, Clifton Park, Latham and Keene. An additional four charging stations are planned for 2022.
“By partnering with EVolve NY, we are proud to offer our customers more options for ‘filling’ up their tanks. The 20 EVolve NY Chargers will grow our fast charging network to more than 80 units,” Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake said. “Stewart’s Shops is known for a quick in and out and these fast chargers will provide the convenience our customers know and expect. As an energy provider for today and into the future, we have the ability to fuel any vehicle and grow our EV network at strategic locations. The partnership with EVolve NY is just one of the ways Stewart’s Shops is attaining a more sustainable future.”
The new charging stations are the latest steps Stewart’s Shops are taking to become more sustainable. Stewart’s Shops currently has three Tesla supercharging stations throughout the state with plans to expand the program with four more by the end of 2021. The chain uses solar energy at offsite locations in Halfmoon and Castle Creek, and its manufacturing plant has 2,400 individual solar panels on the rooftop that offset 75 percent of the power at 50 locations.
The new chargers are part of NYPA’s EVolve NY charging infrastructure network being installed along key travel corridors and in urban areas to encourage the adoption of EVs. EVolve NY plans to install up to 150 chargers across New York State by the end of 2021, which will give New York the third largest open-access available to all EVs 150kW+ fast charging network in the U.S. After this EVolve NY buildout phase is complete, New Yorkers will be able to drive any EV from New York City to Montauk, from Albany to Montreal, and from Binghamton to Buffalo with fast chargers capable of recharging their vehicles in 15-30 minutes located every 50 miles or less.
NYPA announced its first venture with a multi-site host, Mirabito, in May. Those sites are in the Binghampton-Syracuse corridor, including a recently announced site in Oneonta. Other EVolve NY sites opened since last fall include LaGrangeville, Watertown, Malone, Schroon Lake, Fairport and the largest public charging hub in the Northeast at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
EV owners can locate public chargers using smartphone apps such as Greenlots, PlugShare, ChargeHub, ChargeWay, Google Maps, or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.
EVolve NY is the New York Power Authority’s initiative to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles throughout the state. The program creates private-sector partnerships to expand fast-charging infrastructure and make EVs more user-friendly for all New Yorkers. NYPA is installing fast chargers along major interstate corridors, in five major cities and at New York City airports. EVolve NY supports New York State’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and is a key pillar of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Charge NY 2.0 program to launch 10,000 public EV charging stations by 2021. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.nypa.gov/innovation/programs/evolveny.
Founded in 1945, Stewart’s Shops is an employee and family-owned convenience store chain based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Stewart’s is known for offering milk, ice cream, coffee, food to go, gasoline, and other convenience items. Today
