Tesla is planning to expand the presence of its Superchargers in New York City, hoping to alleviate congestion as more drivers in the Big Apple adopt electric vehicles.
Tesla hopes to install at least 100 new Supercharger locations in NYC by the end of the year, according to a sign it placed in the city, which was spotted by fans of the automaker:
Wow. @TeslaCharging ramping up in NYC! Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island among the Superchargers coming soon. @Tesla @tesla_na $TSLA pic.twitter.com/dSlMkvQRgT
— Gary Mark⚡️Blue Sky Kites 𝕏 🈴 (@blueskykites) April 9, 2024
It appears just three of the five boroughs will receive new Supercharger stalls: Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Brooklyn and Queens are connected, while Staten Island sits separate from others and lies south of Manhattan.
Manhattan and the Bronx will not receive any new Superchargers, at least not yet, as real estate is still one of the largest challenges for companies that are responsible for building out EV infrastructure.
In January, Teslarati spoke to several members of Revel’s team. Revel, for those who don’t know, operates a ride-sharing service in New York City and has done a great job of building out its own infrastructure in the area as it continues to expand its fleet of EVs. It utilizes the Tesla Model Y, among other cars.
When we spoke to Revel, it was on the basis of how it planned to attack a weak charging infrastructure in the city and was trying to come up with an easy and affordable way for people to charge. Tesla had already initiated congestion fees at its New York City locations to combat how busy some of the Superchargers had gotten.
Tesla combats Uber, Lyft congestion in New York City with Supercharger Congestion Fees
The company told us that Manhattan was obviously one of its priorities, but it was difficult to find suitable charging locations. It will open a charging site on Pier 36 off of FDR Drive this year. However, with it being the most congested in terms of traffic and population, there is little to no real estate around to build an adequate charging infrastructure, which presents challenges for companies.
Tesla is, without a doubt, going through the same dilemma. It begs the question: What will companies do to combat the lack of charging in Manhattan and Bronx as more EV drivers are on the roads?
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