Brooklyn's curb is about to become a lot more electrified, with three neighborhoods included in New York City's first wave of a massive new charging buildout. Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Bedford-Stuyvesant are slated to receive new curbside EV ports as the city moves to add 600 charging points across all five boroughs over the next three years.
NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced the expansion Tuesday alongside a new public feedback portal where residents can weigh in on potential locations. The project would expand the city's existing network of 88 Level 2 curbside charging points to nearly 700, with a focus on neighborhoods where many residents park on the street and private charging companies have invested less heavily.
The Brooklyn neighborhoods were selected based on residential density, limited off-street parking and concentrations of TLC-licensed drivers, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. Public engagement, design and construction will roll out on a rolling basis, meaning the exact curb locations are still up for debate.
Brooklyn's First Wave Includes Three Neighborhoods
Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Bedford-Stuyvesant join Soundview and Unionport in the Bronx; Rego Park, Forest Hills and Far Rockaway in Queens; the Upper West Side and Washington Heights in Manhattan; and Stapleton on Staten Island. Each new station is expected to include at least two charger posts with two charging points apiece, while some sites could also support e-bike, cargo-bike or bikeshare charging through shared electrical connections, the NYC Department of Transportation said.
Residents have already started using the city's project map to lobby for charging near homes, businesses and redesigned streets. The Brooklyn feedback page included requests for more chargers in Carroll Gardens and Bed-Stuy, along with complaints that an existing charger near Court Street had become difficult or impossible to use after a street redesign, according to the NYC DOT project map.
Why TLC Drivers Are Central To The Expansion
The charger push is arriving as New York's for-hire vehicle fleet faces increasingly aggressive electrification targets. The Taxi and Limousine Commission's Green Rides rules require rising shares of Uber and Lyft trips to be completed in zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible vehicles, reaching 100% by 2030, according to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.
NYC DOT says the existing curbside network is already heavily used, with charging points occupied by EVs more than 70% of the time and some locations nearing 99% occupancy. In a city where half of car owners rely on street parking, the practical question is no longer whether New Yorkers can buy an electric vehicle—it is where they can plug it in without hunting for a garage like it's a second job.
The new portal allows users to select proposed locations, explain why a site would work or fail, and suggest additional areas for future phases. The city has not finalized every site, so Brooklyn residents still have a chance to shape which blocks get the plugs—and which ones are left waiting for the next round.
