Wildflower Selected to Develop the Largest Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station in NYC

Proposal to Include 65 Initial Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Public Parking Spaces; Site can Scale Up Over Time for Electric Trucks Over Time

Electric Vehicle Charging Station Advances a key Commitment New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan and Delivers on Mayor Adams’ “PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done”

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the selection of Wildflower, a New York City-based developer that creates urban infrastructure for sustainability, to build the largest publicly accessible electric vehicle charging station in New York City. The development will include an initial 65 EV-ready charging stations, including 12 rapid charging stations, available 24/7 and can expand over time to support other vehicles including electric trucks, especially as the demand for these sites grows. An “EV ready” site means it will be capable of easily supporting additional electric vehicle charging stations. The project is anticipated to complete construction in 2025. 

The facility, once completed, is initially estimated to charge 1,000 vehicles per year, with potential for growth depending on market demand. The EV chargers are expected to serve all types of vehicles, with focus on the electric truck market as it matures and help avoid nearly 78,000 metrics tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. Electrical conduits will also be installed throughout the site, to allow for additional charging stations to be added over time as demand grows.

With electric vehicles becoming more common in New York City and a shortage of electric vehicle charging in this part of the city, current electric vehicle drivers have a limited number of charging stations in the area. Through Wildflower’s development of this electric vehicle charging station, southeastern Jamaica and surrounding markets in Queens will become one of the leading electric vehicles charging infrastructures in the city. The charging station will also help relieve the parking pressures in the surrounding neighborhood and around JFK Airport. 

Wildflower’s electric vehicle charging development will serve as a critical component of New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan announced last month that aims to activate electric vehicle charging infrastructures and enable low-carbon alternatives in the transportation sector. This first-of-its-kind plan announced by Mayor Eric Adams, NYCEDC, and the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYCTalent) lays out a series of commitments and strategies that will bolster economic growth, create thousands of jobs, encourage public-private partnerships, and train and position New Yorkers, particularly those from environmentally disadvantaged communities, to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected green collar jobs in New York City by 2040. The electric vehicle charging station will also build on Mayor Adams’ Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recoveryand PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done.

Recently, the city announced several efforts towards electric vehicles and infrastructure by securing federal grants for the purchase of 180 electric school buses and the construction of the “Recharge Hub,” the first community-driven freight focused electric vehicle charging depot in the nation. The city also activated the first of five public e-battery charging stations in Manhattan’s Cooper Square to support e-bike use and prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires.

In the Fall of 2022, NYCEDC released an RFP seeking respondents to purchase and develop an industrially zoned 2.6-acre parcel of land located to the north of JFK Airport between Nassau Expressway and Rockaway Boulevard, adjacent to the Bartlett Dairy distribution facility.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity, build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city’s future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Wildflower
Wildflower brings innovative solutions to the city’s largest problems in commerce, community and sustainability. The New York City-based developer creates urban infrastructure for eCommerce, electric vehicle and logistics parking, community solar, housing, and the city’s cultural life. Visionary projects include Wildflower Studios, the world’s first vertical film studio in partnership with Robert De Niro, and a network of state-of-the-art logistics centers for the world’s largest ecommerce retailer.