The Town of North Hempstead was one of nine Long Island municipalities to receive a $625,000 grant from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council in early December for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations along the Long Island Expressway, town officials said Wednesday.
North Hempstead will lead the municipalities – Babylon, Brookhaven, Hempstead, Huntington, Islip, Oyster Bay, Smithtown and Suffolk County – in planning the project, which officials said will consist of constructing four Level Two charging stations per town.
According to data provided by Plug In America, a national coalition of motorists who own electric vehicles, Level Two charging stations are capable of distributing up to 240 volts of electricity.
“Electric cars are becoming more prevalent in this day and age as their benefits to the environment are numerous,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck) said in a statement. “By working together with local governments across Long Island, we are looking forward to providing accessible places for residents to charge their cars, making the electric car-owning experience more convenient and feasible.”
Thomas Devaney, the town’s grants coordinator, said in a North Hempstead news release that the project’s goal is to construct the charging stations near local businesses so motorists don’t have to wait for their vehicles.
The next step would be to conduct a feasibility study to determine potential locations and design specifications of the charging stations, officials said. The governments will also create a unified building code for the charging stations.
The New York State Regional Economic Development Council, which was created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth in the state, provides annual grants to local municipalities.
Reach reporter Bill San Antonio by e-mail at bsanantonio@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516.307.1045 x215 or on Twitter @b_sanantonio. Also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
