Bike Month: Expand On-Site Citi Bike E-Bike Charging Infrastructure to Support Growing Ridership

Citi Bike’s first electrified station at Ninth Avenue and West 35th Street in Manhattan. Credit: NYC DOT

Electrified Charging Station Pilot Program Allows Citi Bike E-Bikes To Charge While Docked, Aims To Improve Bike Availability and Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled by Vehicles Used To Manually Swap Batteries

An expansion of electrified Citi Bike charging station networks, with plans to electrify 13 charging stations in existing station locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn this spring was announced today. Electric grid-connected stations allow Citi Bike e-bikes to charge on-site while docked, rather than requiring batteries to be manually swapped out by staff in vehicles. Based on experience deploying bikeshare charging stations in cities like Barcelona and Montreal, Lyft projects that a network of Citi Bike charging stations will both improve e-bike availability for riders and significantly reduce operational costs from manual battery swapping. NYC DOT and Lyft are expanding the charging station network to meet rising demand and support the continued growth of electric Citi Bike ridership, which surpassed 29 million e-bike trips in 2024. The expansion builds upon the two equipment test stations installed last spring and reflects NYC DOT and Lyft’s broader commitment to making bike share more available to the growing demand for cycling and micromobility in New York City.

Newly Activated Charging Stations:

Manhattan

• Amsterdam Avenue and West 116 Street
• Clinton Street and Grand Street
• York Avenue and East 72nd Street
• First Avenue and East 14th Street
• Kenmare Street and Elizabeth Street
• Amsterdam Ave and West 66th Street
• Eleventh Avenue and West 59th Street
• Broadway and West 92nd Street 
• First Avenue and East 30th Street
• Sixth Avenue and West 42nd Street Ave

Brooklyn

• Graham Avenue and Grand Street
• Metropolitan Avenue and Bedford Avenue
• Clinton Street and Tillary Street

Existing electrified station locations:

• Ninth Avenue and 35th Street, Manhattan
• Meserole Avenue and Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn

Since its launch, Citi Bike has become a vital part of New York City’s transportation landscape, growing into the largest bike share system in the country with over 260 million rides taken. As the system expands, electric bikes have become a major driver of its record-breaking success. 

The newly added charging stations build on the first two grid-connected sites launched last spring at Ninth Avenue and 35th Street in Manhattan and at Meserole Avenue and Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn. The charging stations utilize Lyft’s new docking equipment, which offer easier docking, a more intuitive user experience, and increased reliability.

Today, Citi Bike’s fleet includes approximately 15,000 pedal-assist e-bikes and over 20,000 traditional pedal bikes. Demand for e-bikes continues to surge, with riders taking more than seven million trips so far in 2025 and setting a new single-day record of 130,709 e-bike rides on September 20, 2024. To keep up with this rapid growth, NYC DOT and Lyft are expanding charging infrastructure to ensure more e-bikes are available when and where riders need them — while reducing reliance on warehouse-based battery swapping operations.

By allowing e-bikes to charge directly while docked, these new stations improve e-bike availability for riders, increase the number of fully charged bikes in circulation, and streamline system operations.

The expansion of electrified stations is a major milestone in enhancing Citi Bike’s convenience, sustainability, and reach — helping more New Yorkers embrace cycling as an everyday transportation option. Additional locations for the electrified Citi Bike stations were selected based on each station’s e-bike ridership data and technical feasibility for electrification, based on station location.