News

Jun 27, 2023

Fast electric car chargers open for business in Olean's West End

City Editor EVolveNY direct current fast chargers are operational at the Tops plaza in Olean’s West End. OLEAN — The first publicly-available high-speed electric vehicle charging stations have opened

City Editor

EVolveNY direct current fast chargers are operational at the Tops plaza in Olean’s West End.

OLEAN — The first publicly-available high-speed electric vehicle charging stations have opened in the city’s West End.

Four direct current fast chargers, providing up to 350 kilowatts of power to electric vehicles, became operational on Tuesday at the Tops plaza near South 25th Street, according to a New York Power Authority spokesperson. The stations were funded by the New York Power Authority’s EVolveNY Program. A similar EVolveNY charging center opened in 2022 in Salamanca.

The chargers serve to build out high-speed charging along the Interstate 86 corridor, a Federal Highway Administration Designated EV Corridor. Planning on the Olean project began in 2021. In December 2021, the Common Council met with Plugin Stations Online, an Albany-based firm working with NYSERDA on the program to discuss the plans, which included use of the public right of way along South 25th Street. However, the right of way was determined to not be needed for the project.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, DCFC charging can charge a battery-powered electric vehicle to 80% in 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the battery. That range can be enough for several hundred miles of travel, allowing travelers to stop and recharge not only the vehicles but themselves. The American Automobile Association website recommends stopping on road trips every two hours or 100 miles to battle driver fatigue.

By comparison, Level 2 chargers require between 4 to 10 hours for the same level of charge. Such chargers work off of a 240-volt or 208V electrical service — similar to industrial equipment or an electric appliance. A Level 1 charger, which works off a standard 120-volt outlet, can take between 40 to 50 hours for the same level of charge.

While the DCFC charging is faster, many plug-in electric hybrid vehicles — which use a gasoline engine for power when battery power runs out — do not use the system, the DOT reported. However, the majority of automobiles that can connect to external power will be able to use the new stations. As of 2021, the most recent year with data available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, battery electric vehicles accounted for more than 450,000 sales. By comparison, plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for around 180,000 sales the same year.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center Alternative Fueling Station Locator notes almost 55,000 publicly-accessible charging stations nationwide, but only a few in the area.

The site is one of three publicly-accessible charging sites in the city, according to the NYSERDA Electric Vehicle Station Locator, with Level 2 systems at Kohl’s in the Olean Center Mall and Holiday Inn Express on Main Street. Three more Level 2 charging sites are operating in the town of Allegany. Two DCFC sites are in Salamanca; and Level 2 sites in Cattaraugus County include two in Ellicottville, and one each in Cattaraugus, Gowanda and Salamanca. In Allegany County, one DCFast site is in Belvidere; and Level 2 sites include two in Houghton and one in Wellsville. No public charging sites are located in Potter County, Pa., and two Level 2 sites are located in McKean County, Pa. — at Kinzua State Park near Mt. Jewett and in Kane.

More — but slower — chargers are expected to come to the city in the near future. In April, the city received a $499,210 grant from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program for 20 Level 2 chargers, which will be placed along the city’s business district corridor.

(Contact City Editor Bob Clark at [email protected].)

City Editor

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