Fairport Designated as First EVolve NY Accelerator Community for Electric Vehicle Adoption

For Immediate Release:  11/22/19                  

 

Contact:  NYPA Media Inquiries | media.inquiries@nypa.gov | (914) 681-6770

Community-wide Initiative to Drive Electric Vehicle Adoption through Education, Technology Demonstrations and Expanding Public Charging Infrastructure

 

Fairport to Set Example of Clean Energy Economy Outlined in Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a Nation-Leading Clean Energy Agenda that Puts NY on an Aggressive Path toward Carbon Neutrality by 2040

 

 

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) today designated Fairport, N.Y., known as a “Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal,” as its first Evolve NY Electric Vehicle Accelerator Community. The designation signifies a partnership between NYPA and the Village of Fairport in Monroe County in the Finger Lakes region to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and optimally integrate EVs into the village’s infrastructure, community and culture. The aim of the project is to both support Fairport’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in its community and to be a first-mover green community example of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the Governor’s nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda announced in January 2019 that puts New York on a path to carbon neutrality.

 

The initiative is planned to last five years and in the first year will deliver the following:

 

• In collaboration with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the installation of 50 home charging stations to encourage EV adoption and better understand how managed charging can help consumers and the local electric utility manage costs
• In collaboration with NYSERDA, the implementation of 28 public chargers that can be utilized by members of the community and visitors
• Through the EVolve NY program, the installation of Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) at one central location to support rapid charging of personal and ride share vehicles
• A comprehensive community engagement and education program spanning ride and drive opportunities, charger demonstrations, outreach through schools, forums for public comments, and engagement with local business and community leaders.

 

“Through innovative programs like this Evolve NY EV Accelerator Community designation, we are proving that New Yorkers can set the bar for driving carbon-free and making a more environmentally sound lifestyle a reality,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “This designation of Fairport sets an example statewide for how to stimulate a cultural change and encourage drivers to consider the many benefits of driving an EV. The initiative ties in perfectly with our investment in expanding the fast-charging network across New York State and will demonstrate how EVs can be fully integrated into a community.”  

 

Through community engagement and investments in charging infrastructure, the Evolve NY EV Accelerator Community initiative will demonstrate how EVs can be seamlessly integrated into people’s daily lives, making EVs the “easy choice.” The program aims to achieve 100 percent EV awareness amongst community residents. Lessons learned in Fairport will be shared with other communities statewide as a blueprint for catalyzing EV adoption at scale.

 

This community initiative will focus on accelerating EV adoption in Fairport in three key ways:

 

• Improve community perception about EVs through education and engagement efforts, leading to more widespread adoption of electric vehicles and electrification of transportation in the village
• Build a critical mass of electric vehicle usage in a concentrated location in order to learn how to optimally integrate alternative forms of transportation into both the electric grid and daily community life
• Establish partnerships and investments with the private sector to support innovation and the affordable and seamless adoption of electric vehicles.

 

Key outcomes that the program will be tracking to monitor success include:

• greenhouse gas emissions reductions
• utilization of public charging infrastructure
• an increased percentage of miles traveled in the community in low emission vehicles
• an increased level of awareness about EVs and their benefits, cleanliness of power supply, cost of power supply, and extent of EV adoption in Fairport and surrounding communities.

 

Fairport, a community of around 2,370 households which already has 14 electric vehicles in its municipal fleet, was selected for the program due to its heightened interest in driving clean, and because the village already receives low-cost hydropower from NYPA through its municipal electric partner, Fairport Electric. This makes electrifying the transportation sector in the village attractive because the electricity for driving will be lower priced, and already comes from clean hydropower.

 

Fairport Mayor Julie Domaratz said, “The Village of Fairport is pleased and excited to be partnering with the New York Power Authority to support and facilitate the adoption and promotion of EV’s within our community.  Fairport has a long history of embracing electrical technology in hybrids and now pure EV vehicles in support of the services we provide to our residents.  We also believe in promoting a carbon-free network of vehicles and equipment to assist in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to do our part to make carbon-free cars a reality in the Village of Fairport.” 

Alicia Barton, president and CEO, NYSERDA, said, “Fairport is illustrating how partnerships with the state and bold actions by local municipalities can help make communities healthier and cleaner while moving New York toward meeting Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading greenhouse gas emissions targets. As New Yorkers continue to learn about the benefits of driving electric vehicles, communities need to be aggressive in electrifying their transportation infrastructure to meet consumer demands so these clean-driving vehicles can be better integrated into our everyday lives.”

 

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "The village of Fairport community understands that a cleaner tomorrow starts with a greener today. The transportation sector is now New York’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Without aggressively tackling these emissions, our state cannot achieve Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Incentivizing municipalities through the state’s EvolveNY EV Accelerator Community designation will fuel growth of electric vehicle markets while expanding the infrastructure and capacity to support a smarter, more sustainable clean energy future.”

Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president, Research and Development, Electric Power Research Institute, said, “The more we know about customer charging behavior, the more effectively utilities can operate the grid while incorporating EVs as a flexible grid resource. It can also lead to broad benefits to utility customers and specific benefits to EV owners through better charging and service options.”

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said, “The City of Rochester is excited to see other communities joining us and NYPA to expand EV adoption throughout New York. Congratulations to Mayor Domaratz and the Village of Fairport for committing their community to a more sustainable future. Together, we can and will ensure a better environment for future generations.”

For more information about the statewide NYPA EVolve NY initiative, including requesting fast chargers in your area or learning more about becoming an Evolve NY EV Accelerator Community, visit the EVolveNY program page on NYPA's website. To contact an EVolve NY representative, e-mail: EVolveNY@nypa.gov.

 

Evolve NY and Other New York State Electrification Efforts

The EVolve NY EV Accelerator Community program is a key element of NYPA’s $250 million initiative to expand electric vehicle infrastructure across New York State, announced in May 2018. The Evolve NY program was instituted to expand fast charging along key corridors, create new charging hubs in major cities and airports, and establish electric vehicle-friendly model communities, like Fairport, that will encourage residents to transition to driving electric vehicles.

The EVolve NY program is part of the Governor's Charge NY 2.0 initiative, which aims to encourage and support electric car adoption by increasing the number of charging stations statewide and will help bring the state closer to its goal of installing at least 10,000 EV charging stations by the end of 2021. The electrification efforts will help the state reach its aggressive clean energy goals outlined in the Governor’s Green New Deal and in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act legislation signed into law this past summer.

NYPA is currently installing 400 public chargers at airports, train stations, and municipal parking lots and high-speed chargers have been installed on the New York State Thruway, with more planned for the remaining 23 service areas between New York City and Buffalo. NYPA has also partnered with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and ConEd to bring electric buses to New York City.

 

The state has also provided incentives for employers to encourage employees to drive electric vehicles, installed charging stations in public areas, and offered rebates for municipalities to purchase or lease electric (plug-in hybrid or battery) or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for municipal fleet use and to install charging infrastructure.

New York State’s Green New Deal

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal is the most aggressive climate change program in the nation and puts the state on a path to being entirely carbon-neutral across all sectors of the economy, including power generation, transportation, buildings, industry and agriculture. The Governor’s program also establishes a goal to achieve a zero-carbon emissions electricity sector by 2040, faster than any state in the nation. The recently passed Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates several of the Governor’s ambitious Green New Deal clean energy targets: installing nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035; six gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025 and three gigawatts of energy storage by 2030. The CLCPA also calls for an orderly and just transition to clean energy, creating jobs while spurring a green economy. It builds on New York’s unprecedented ramp-up of clean energy including a $2.9 billion investment in 46 large-scale renewable projects across the state, the creation of more than 150,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector, and 1,700% growth in the distributed solar sector since 2012. The CLCPA also directs New York State's agencies and authorities to work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% from 1990 levels by 2050, and to work toward a goal of investing 40 percent of clean energy and energy efficiency resources to benefit disadvantaged communities.

 

About NYPA

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter @NYPAenergy, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.