Uber and Lyft Drivers in New York Struggle With City’s EV-Charging Divide
Manhattan's abundance of electric-car chargers is a boon for the burgeoning number of Tesla drivers in New York's wealthiest borough. But for the vast majority of ride-share drivers who live elsewhere in the Big Apple, that network is largely out of reach.
This EV-charging divide poses a challenge for ride-hailing leaders Uber and Lyft, which need more drivers behind the wheels of electric vehicles to meet their lofty emissions-reduction goals.
Bronx-based Mohammed Islam, 44, typically spends about 30 minutes and roughly $40 to charge his Tesla Model Y SUV inside the parking garage of the Bay Plaza Shopping Center before starting a shift for Uber. It's a short drive from his home and one of the only public fast chargers in the borough that can power an electric car battery to 80% in half an hour. If it's too crowded or the chargers don't work, the closest option is a lower-voltage facility a mile away, where an equivalent charge would take almost eight hours.
“I get there early to avoid the lines but I'm always a little worried,” he said. “Maybe it's not gas but there's still a price, one way or the other. When I'm charging, I'm not picking people up.”
Manhattan is New York's richest borough and has by far the most chargers, according to the Department of Transportation. However, most Uber and Lyft drivers live in the outer boroughs. At 40%, Queens has the highest concentration of ride-share drivers in the city, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, yet has only 16% of the city's over 1,900 public chargers.
The range anxiety that can plague any EV owner is especially acute for these ride-share drivers in New York, where most count on driving as a full-time job. For them, the unequal distribution of
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
