Requires the Thruway Authority to provide at least twelve charging stations at each rest area and gas station complex owned, leased or operated by the Thruway Authority.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7137
SPONSOR: Jacobson
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act in relation to requiring the New York State
Thruway Authority to provide at least twelve charging stations at each
rest area and gas station complex owned, leased or operated by the Thru-
way Authority
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Requires the New York State Thruway Authority to provide at least 12
public electric vehicle charging stations equipped with the two most
used level 3 fast charger technologies at each rest area and gas station
complex owned, leased or operated by the Thruway Authority.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 states the purpose of the bill is to require the New York
State Thruway Authority on each of the rest areas and gas station
complexes which are owned, leased or operated by the Authority to
provide no less than twelve spaces for electric vehicles to be charged
with the two most used level 3 fast charger technologies.
Section 2 sets forth the definitions in the provisions of this act.
Section 3 states that on each of the rest areas and gas station
complexes owned, leased or operated by the Thruway Authority, the
Authority shall provide no less than 12 spaces for vehicles to be
charged with the two most used level 3 fast charger technologies.
Section 4 sets forth the effective date which is immediate.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The New York State Thruway has a mere 40 electric vehicle charging
stations currently in operation. With President Biden and the EPA
committed to making two-thirds of new passenger vehicle sales and a
quarter of new heavy truck sales electric by 2032, this is a fraction of
the number the Thruway needs to service all the electric vehicles that
will soon be on the road.
Until electric vehicle charging stations become as convenient and acces-
sible as gas stations, our switch to electric vehicles will remain
theoretical.
We also need to ensure that each charging station is properly equipped
to charge the two most used commercially available charging technolo-
gies. No one wants to embark on a long trip on the Thruway and find
themselves in need of a charge only to discover that the nearest rest
area isn't equipped to charge their vehicle or only has a slow charger
that will takes hours to fully charge their vehicle.
On busy interstate highways such as 1-87 and 1-90, the Thruway's
proposed plan for four chargers per rest area or gas station complex
simply will not satisfy the needs of all the electric vehicles drivers.
An insufficient number of charging stations will inevitably lead to
quarrels and possibly even violent encounters between impatient drivers
needing to charge their cars.
This bill would require all charging stations located at rest areas or
gas station complexes that are owned, leased, or operated by the New
York State Thruway to have no fewer than twelve electric vehicle charg-
ing spaces. All twelve spaces shall offer the two most used level 3 fast
charger technologies.
In order to meaningfully reduce our carbon emissions, we must prepare
today for the electric vehicle needs of tomorrow.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None for the State or local governments. There will be a cost to the
Thruway Authority.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7137
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 11, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JACOBSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT in relation to requiring the New York State Thruway Authority to
provide at least twelve charging stations at each rest area and gas
station complex owned, leased or operated by the Thruway Authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of this act is to require the New
2 York State Thruway Authority on each of the rest areas and gas station
3 complexes which are owned, leased or operated by the Authority to
4 provide no less than twelve spaces for electric vehicles to be charged
5 with the two most used level 3 fast charger technologies.
6 § 2. Definitions. As used in this act, the following terms shall have
7 the following meanings:
8 (a) "Electric vehicle" means a motor vehicle subject to registration
9 pursuant to subdivision 6 of section 401 of the vehicle and traffic law
10 which is: (i) powered by an electric motor drawing current from
11 rechargeable storage batteries or other portable electrical energy stor-
12 age devices; and (ii) capable of being recharged from an external source
13 of electricity.
14 (b) "Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle" means an electric vehicle that
15 has an internal combustion engine or other propulsion system.
16 (c) "Electric vehicle charger" means a device containing electric
17 vehicle service equipment and software, which, when connected to an
18 electric vehicle, delivers electricity to the electric vehicle.
19 (d) "Level 3 electric vehicle charger" means an electric vehicle char-
20 ger that when connected to an electric vehicle delivers electricity
21 through a DC current. Level 3 chargers are commonly known as the fast
22 chargers.
23 (e) "Electric vehicle service equipment" means equipment, both above
24 and below ground, installed for the purpose of transmitting electricity
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10851-04-3
A. 7137 2
1 between the electric vehicle charging station's charging coupler and the
2 electric vehicle's connector.
3 (f) "Electric vehicle service equipment software" means the software
4 programs and other information technologies used to operate the electric
5 vehicle charging equipment.
6 § 3. On each of the rest areas and gas station complexes which are
7 owned, leased or operated by the New York State Thruway Authority, the
8 Authority shall provide no less than twelve spaces for vehicles to be
9 charged with the two most used level 3 fast charger technologies.
10 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.