EV Revel-ution landing in Maspeth

 

Queens Chronicle

Revel, the Brooklyn-based ride share company that introduced its light-blue electric scooters to Queens in early 2021, is planning a 60-station electric vehicle-charging hub for Maspeth, one of five it hopes to open in the city by the end of this year.

The site is at 54-12 48 St., just south of Exit 35E on the eastbound Long Island Expressway, according to a press release issued Monday. The company also has 76 additional charging stations with two sites in Brooklyn and one each in Manhattan and the Bronx.

The company said with 60 stalls, the Maspeth “Superhub” will be the largest public, universally accessible EV fast-charging station in the Western Hemisphere. Its proximity to the LIE, according to the company, places it on a high-traffic corridor for light-and heavy-duty vehicles, especially those servicing the transportation, delivery and freight sectors. The site will be equipped with ultrafast charging capable of charging an EV in 10 to 20 minutes.

Revel said at present there are only 20 public fast charging stalls available in Queens, all of which are located at low-volume sites.

“The only way mass EV adoption will ever happen in New York City is if the charging infrastructure is there to support it,” said Revel CEO and co-founder Frank Reig. “We need high-volume, public sites in the neighborhoods where people actually live and work, and that’s exactly what Revel is delivering with our growing Superhub network. This is the biggest fast charging expansion our city has ever seen, and it’s a huge step toward making our EV transition a reality.”

Borough President Donovan Richards expressed cautious optimism on a few fronts in an email on Wednesday.

“In a city as dense and as vulnerable to climate change as ours, we welcome any effort from any entity — public or private — to heavily promote the use of electric vehicles,” Richards said. “Publicly accessible charging stations, like the one proposed by Revel, are critical in our push to protect our environment for generations to come. However, important community-centered conversations and a thorough public engagement process must be had to ensure proper siting for this facility, and I look forward to having those discussions with Revel and our neighbors in Maspeth.”

Asked where the Maspeth project is in the process, including securing any required permits and approvals, a Revel spokesman, in an email on Wednesday, said the five sites “are proceeding to development. The Maspeth Superhub will be finished by the end of this year.”