How does New York stack up when it comes to electric vehicles? Click here to read our fact-sheet on the State of EVs in New York, part of our Plug It In, NY campaign.

We cover where New York stands compared to the nation when it comes to EVs, the various electrification incentives and charging programs, and statistics on vehicle registration and public chargers. 

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's 2021 State Transportation Electrification Scorecard ranks New York 2nd nationwide on the electrification of our transportation systems.

There are more than 76,000 EVs on the road, including hybrid and plug-in electric cars. More than 21,000 of them are just in Suffolk and Nassau!

There are thousands of public charging stations and outlets in the state. To propose a charging station location, click here!

If you're on the market for an EV, you may qualify for a number of incentives that could make it easier to purchase one, including the Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Tax Credit, Drive Clean Rebate, Smart Charge Rewards, or SmartCharge New York. 

Read our fact-sheet to learn more.

Electric vehicles have many advantages over gasoline-powered cars including better fuel economy, lower maintenance costs, zero emissions, and less pollution. 

Thinking of going electric? Check out our fact sheet on buying EVs, part of our Plug It In, NY campaign. Learn about the different types of EVs, how to buy a used EV, and the best in class as far as range, safety, and cost go.

BEVs, or battery electric vehicles, run on electricity and use an electric motor, battery, and plug instead of an internal combustion engine, gas tank, and pump. Cars with higher battery capacities tend to be able to go longer distances without needing a charge. 

PHEVs, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles run on both gas and electric power, and just like BEVs, are plugged in to recharge their batteries. When out of charge, PHEV models switch to hybrid mode, which gives them a longer range than most BEVs. 

With a greater variety on the market and prices decreasing, used EVs are also an option. We suggest buying a certified pre-owned EV, making sure to test drive it, and looking for a car with a battery warranty.

Read our fact-sheet to learn more.

As part of our public awareness campaign on electric vehicles, Plug It In, NY, we released the fourth in our series of fact sheets to encourage New Yorkers to make an EV their next vehicle. 

The fact sheet focuses on the costs, incentives, and funding opportunities associated with purchasing and owning an EV.

State, federal, and utility incentives help lower the cost of purchasing and owning electric vehicles. 

A federal tax credit for drivers purchasing new EVs ranges from $2,500  to $7,500. 

New York State offers a Drive Clean Rebate, which discounts the price of EVs for consumers by up to $2,000 at participating new car dealers. There are also discounts on tolls for electric vehicle drivers, including the Thruway Authority’s Green Pass  Discount Plan.

One commonly held misconception is that EVs are cost-prohibitive. While this may have been true decades ago, the upfront cost of an electric vehicle is becoming more competitive with that of its gasoline counterparts. 

Electric cars are also cheaper to fuel and maintain. 

EV owners will see savings as early as their first year. The average yearly cost of fueling an EV in New York is $708, while for a gas-powered car it's $1,200. EV maintenance costs are lower than conventional cars because they have fewer moving parts (e.g., belts, crankshaft, fuel pumps, pistons) so they have fewer mechanical failures. 

Additionally, a comprehensive study by NYSERDA found that increased adoption of EVs would economically benefit EV owners. Depending on their location within the state, owning an EV could net drivers savings of up to $3,857 over a vehicle’s lifespan. EV owners are not the only beneficiaries of increased EV adoption, either; moderate adoption of electric vehicles would result in a statewide net societal benefit of approximately $5.1 billion.

Read more in our fact sheet today!

You can view the report in double-page spreads or as single-pages.

Going electric is one of the best ways New Yorkers can fight climate change.

As part of our public awareness campaign on electric vehicles, Plug It In, NY, we released the third in our series of fact sheets to encourage New Yorkers to make an EV their next vehicle. 

Our third fact sheet covers the environmental and public health benefits of EV adoption. 

Fossil-fuel-powered vehicles emit harmful pollutants, many of which have been linked to adverse health effects, and decreased air quality. 

Our fact sheet dives into the different pollutants found in diesel emissions and their effect on human health.

Particulate matter consists of small inhalable particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter and come from a variety of sources, including combustion from vehicle engines. It is hazardous to human health because it can carry toxic pollutants deep into lower airways.

Lower-income communities and communities of color, especially in urban areas, face higher levels of exposure to diesel emissions. These groups also suffer from higher rates of negative health outcomes attributed to diesel.

The Union of Concerned Scientists published a report in 2019 that found that people of color in New York were exposed to significantly more PM2.5 emissions compared to white residents. 

Diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles release greenhouse gases, a leading cause of climate change. 

EV adoption can lower both pollution-related health outcomes and greenhouse gas emissions. EVs have a much smaller carbon footprint on average than conventional cars. As our power grid switches to renewable energy like solar, wind, and hydropower, EVs will become an even cleaner way to get around.

EVs are good for us and the planet!

Going electric is one of the best ways New Yorkers can fight climate change.

As part of our public awareness campaign on electric vehicles, Plug It In, NY, we released the second in our series of fact sheets to encourage New Yorkers to make an EV their next vehicle. 

Our second fact sheet covers everything there is to know about charging an EV. 

Many drivers may shy away from EVs because they feel the charging process is overly complicated. As of January 2020, only 45,000 EVs had been purchased by New Yorkers.

However, as the fact sheet reveals, the notion that charging is difficult couldn’t be further from the truth. We go over the three types of chargers, (Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast), what plugs they use, and how fast they charge. Our fact sheet also covers the cost to install and use home chargers as well as the cost and payment options for public chargers. 

We hope to encourage more New Yorkers to make their next car an EV by clearing up the charging process. Read the full fact sheet here.

We're on a mission to encourage New Yorkers to make their next car an electric vehicle (EV). Going electric is one of the best ways New Yorkers can fight climate change. 

As part of our public awareness campaign on EVs, Plug It In, NY, we released the first of a series of fact sheets to encourage New Yorkers to make an EV their next vehicle. This first fact sheet dispels myths about charging range which many associate with EVs, known as range anxiety. This fear that an EV will run out of charge before getting to a destination, leaving the driver stranded, may discourage New Yorkers from going electric. As of January 2020, only 45,000 EVs had been purchased by New Yorkers.

The fact sheet explains why EVs can be driven for days before needing to recharge, that charging can be quick and inexpensive, and that charging stations are becoming increasingly common. It also highlights a few testimonies from EV drivers about their range and charging experiences. Transportation is the leading contributor to climate change in the state and we are prioritizing policies that encourage low-emission transportation, like EVs, as a vital way to protect the environment. 

New York State also has a number of programs to encourage EV ownership through including Charge NY and EVolve. 

We hope to encourage more New Yorkers to make their next car an EV while allaying potential fears about range.

We are excited to release our new report “5 is the New 15” about how strengthening the 2016 Safe School Drinking Water Act could protect more students and staff from lead exposure in school drinking water. At our press conference to release the report, we urged the State to reduce the action level for lead in public school drinking water from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb which would make New York’s the biggest state with the most protective health standard in the nation. It would also bring us closer to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of less than 1 ppb. 

We were joined by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, and representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Schools Network, Natural Resources Defense Council, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Senator Rivera and Assemblymember Gottfried recently submitted legislation to strengthen the law (S. 2122 / A. 160).  

In addition to lowering the lead action level, the report recommends increasing testing frequency for lead in public school drinking water, guaranteeing no-cost tap water, removing the possibility of exemption from testing, ensuring laboratory reports are disclosed publicly, and enforcing training for sample collectors. 

An analysis of lab reports from 90% of all NYS public school districts that were tested in  2016  found that an additional 63,428 drinking water outlets, or 17.2%, currently in use would need remediation under a more protective standard of 5 ppb compared to the current action level of 15 ppb. View maps of top school districts of concern by state and by region.

Children spend much of their time in school and the levels of lead in school drinking fixtures present an alarming problem, as many schools have older plumbing fixtures that contain large amounts of lead. Lead poisoning can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, causing irreversible damage, and babies and young children are particularly at risk. 

All young children deserve a safe learning environment. It’s time to reevaluate our current law to protect kids and improve schools for the future. We are committed to working with Governor Cuomo, Senator Rivera, Assemblymember Gottfried, our partners and all our elected officials to make significant improvements to our school drinking water.

NYLCVEF today released its Clean Bus Guide, a toolkit of resources for community members and groups to launch their own campaign for electric school buses. We used our experience promoting electric school buses to develop resources that we believe will be helpful to create successful campaigns around the state.

For the past three years, NYLCVEF has been promoting electric school buses in New York City, Albany, and Western NY. The Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign is a national initiative of Chispa, an organizing arm of the League of Conservation Voters that empowers community activism on climate justice issues. Chispa has provided funding for our campaign in New York.

Across the state, we are working with local groups and coalitions to build support for electric school buses. The campaign has elevated the public health and environmental impacts of diesel pollution and offered a transition to zero emissions electric school buses as a promising alternative. In 2018, we released a report that demonstrates the public health impact of pollution emitted by diesel buses, particularly its impact on children and children of color. The report makes the case for large-scale investment in electric school bus fleets.

To amplify our reach and continue the fight for clean air and equity in communities across our state, we developed the Clean Bus Guide. The Guide provides the following resources:

• Key points on the environmental and health benefits of electric school buses
• A myth vs. fact sheet outlining common myths about electric school buses
• Facts and figures highlighting electric school bus technology
• Available state and federal funding sources for electric school buses
• A chart of relevant stakeholders to involve in your campaign, both as allies and campaign targets
• Case studies documenting existing electric school bus pilot programs in White Plains and Bay Shore
• Recommended metrics to track for an electric school bus pilot program
• A social media guide for launching a campaign
• General organizing and campaign planning tips
• Sample petition and letters for organizing a successful campaign

NYLCVEF is planning a series of webinars to promote the guide and explain how to use it. We want community members and local groups to take full advantage of these resources. If you want us to hold a webinar in your community, please reach out directly to Angela Hotaling, Program Director at ahotaling@nylcv.org.