New York launches new program to support electric vehicles

New program aims to support research of electric vehicles

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a new initiative that aims to promote clean transportation throughout the state. The initiative is called the Electric Vehicle-Enabling Technology Demonstration Program and, as the name suggests, it is meant to showcase the economic and environmental benefits of low emission vehicles. The program aims to fund $2 million worth of clean transportation research. All forms of electric vehicles, including those powered by hydrogen fuel cells, will be supported by the new program.

Charge NY initiative works alongside new program

The program is part of the state’s Charge NY initiative, which aims to bring more than 40,000 low emission vehicles on the road within the next five years. The Charge NY initiative is also meant to establish a working infrastructure capable of supporting these vehicles, with some 3,000 public charging stations expected to take root throughout the state in the near future. The state currently boasts of 640 charging stations and some 5,000 electric vehicles, the majority of which are privately owned.

Hydrogen fuel gaining ground in New York

Battery-powered vehicles have won a significant amount of support from the initiative, but hydrogen fuel is beginning to play a much larger role in transportation in the U.S. The federal government has been showing strong support for the establishment of a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure ahead of the launch of hydrogen-powered vehicles coming from the world’s leading automakers. The problem, however, is that most electric vehicles are somewhat more expensive than their conventional counterparts, making them hard to obtain for the majority of consumers.

Program to work to make electric vehicles more affordable

The Electric Vehicle-Enabling Technology Demonstration Program aims to make electric vehicles more affordable for consumers throughout the state. While battery-powered vehicles have already been showing signs of becoming more cost-effective, hydrogen-powered vehicles are expected to launch with a high price tag. Finding a way to make vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel less expensive has been a subject of interest for New York and the U.S. as a whole.