NYCEDC Advances Two Key Commitments in NYC’s Green Economy Action Plan: Activating EV Charging Infrastructure and Next Cohort of Climate Tech Startups at Brooklyn Army Terminal

Three Startups Selected to Participate in “Pilots at BAT” in Sunset Park to Test New Technologies and Unlock Solutions for Global Climate Challenges

A New RFP Will Seek Proposals to Develop Multiple Sites for Medium-and-Heavy-Duty EV Charging Hubs on City-Owned Land

NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the advancement of two key commitments featured in New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan with a new request for proposal (RFP) that seeks to develop multiple sites across New York City for shared medium-and-heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicle (EV) and fleet charging hubs, and the unveiling of the three climate technology companies selected to participate in the second cohort of the Pilots at BAT program.

In February, Mayor Adams unveiled New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan which lays out a series of commitments and strategies to grow the city’s green economy and train and position New Yorkers of all backgrounds to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected green collar jobs in New York City by 2040. The multisite RFP advances a key commitment to activate EV charging infrastructures and enables low-carbon alternatives in the transportation sector. Additionally, the next cohort of startups at Pilots at BAT delivers on the Green Economy Action Plan’s commitment to increase opportunities to pilot and scale climate technologies.

“Our Green Economy Action Plan sets the stage for New York City to harness the transformative potential of building a cleaner, greener city — and the 400,000 ‘green-collar’ jobs our city will host by 2040,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “On this Earth Day, we’re taking major steps forward towards turning that plan, and those jobs, into reality. We’re using underutilized city sites to build EV charging infrastructure, and we’re supporting the next generation of climate technology through the next class of pilot programs at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.”

“This Earth Day, I am thrilled to celebrate another step forward in the city's urgent and important work to grow a robust, competitive and equitable green economy,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Today, the Adams administration is advancing our Green Economy Action Plan with the release of an RFP to create new EV charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles and test a new batch of climate technologies through the Pilots at BAT program, which will further accelerate the reinvention of the Brooklyn Army Terminal into a global hub for climate innovation.”

“New York continues to lead by example and take bold action with the advancement of two key commitments in the Green Economy Action Plan that aim to catalyze climate innovation in climate technologies and decarbonize the Transportation sector by supporting EV charging infrastructure,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “These groundbreaking initiatives, the advancement of the Pilots at BAT program and the release of a new EV charging RFP, will accelerate low-carbon alternatives in the Transportation sector, spark cutting-edge innovation that will unlock solutions for the global climate crisis and create new economic opportunity for the city.”

“EDC is advancing our PlaNYC goals to get polluting trucks off New York City streets and to expand innovation in climate technology,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “These two important steps in the Green Economy Action Plan will help create healthier air for New Yorkers and incubate new ideas in the areas of weather forecasting, EV charging at apartment buildings, and smart power.”

“The RFPs announced today will turn city owned sites into hubs for green innovation and EV accessibility, which will help address the impacts of climate change,” said Abby Jo Sigal, Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development. “We applaud EDC’s commitments to building robust pipelines to green collar jobs at the Climate Innovation Hub at BAT, so that these investments will result in economic mobility and prosperity, particularly for New Yorkers from environmental justice communities.”

“New York City’s green economy is the future of our workforce! This Earth Day I am excited to see the NYCEDC’s announcement of two climate-forward projects. Investing in our climate innovators and entrepreneurs through the Pilots at BAT program presents an exciting opportunity for our City to be at the cutting edge of new technologies to address climate change. Additionally, creating more EV charging infrastructure is an important and long overdue step toward bringing us into the future. As Chair, the lack of charging infrastructure has been an issue of great concern to me, and I look forward to working with the NYCEDC to ensure the placement of the charging stations are equitable and keep our outer-boroughs in mind,” said Majority Leader Amanda Farías.

“To make headway in combatting the climate crisis, we need to invest in the necessary infrastructure and provide the space to test promising technology in order to make it possible,” said Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation Lindsay Greene. “Kudos to the start-up companies piloting solutions to address climate change, and to EDC for expanding public EV charging stations for MHDs in all five boroughs. Development and easier access to these stations will greatly contribute toward the ultimate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in last mile delivery zones.”

“New York City is leading the way in creating opportunities for developing climate solutions that will benefit all New Yorkers,” said Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman. “Governors Island is proud to work with other city partners and sites like NYCEDC and the Brooklyn Army Terminal to offer opportunities for companies to test and scale products that will create a greener future, and we look forward to seeing progress on the initiatives announced today.”

ELECTRIC EV CHARGING HUBS RFP

NYCEDC will activate five underutilized City-owned properties for shared MHD EV charging hubs, presenting an opportunity to accelerate the electrification of transportation infrastructure in New York City and foster a cleaner and more sustainable future.

The RFP seeks proposals to develop the following sites in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island:

• Site 1: Arthur Kill Road – Staten Island, Block 7528, Lots 1, 9, 12, 17, 90, 93, and 96  
• Site 2: Veterans Avenue – Staten Island, Block 7494, Lots 8 and 90 
• Site 3: Front Street – Staten Island, Block 2820, Lot 105  
• Site 4: 130 Street – Queens, Block 4207, Lot 20 
• Site 5: FDR Drive Surface Parking Lots – Manhattan, Block 978, Lot 999.

The rate of EV adoption in New York City has been steadily increasing over the past five years. According to data from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), as of 2023, there were over 40,000 EVs registered in New York City. Sales of EVs now comprise seven percent of vehicle sales, as of the second quarter of 2023, but are still falling short of New York State goals requiring all new light-duty vehicle sales be EV by 2035. Last month, NYCEDC named the New York City-based developer Wildflower, to build the largest publicly accessible electric vehicle charging station in New York City located adjacent to the JFK airport.

The transition to EV has higher barriers to entry for medium- and heavy-duty freight adoption in New York City. As addressed in Delivering Green: A vision for a sustainable freight network serving New York City, released by NYCDOT and NYCEDC in 2021, freight transportation is an integral piece of New York City’s economy with nearly ninety percent of the City’s goods transported into and around the City by truck. Accelerating the adoption of electric trucks is vital to reducing harmful local emissions and achieving the City’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Respondents may propose a strategy that includes passenger vehicles, fleets, and for hire vehicles EV charging in initial years and includes a ramp up of charging infrastructure for MHD EVs as this market segment expands. While proposals that activate all of the sites are preferred, respondents may submit a proposal for all, multiple, one or portions of the sites. Respondents may partner with other entities.

Proposals are due by 11:59 PM Eastern on September 12, 2024. To learn more about the RFP, click here. For more information on connecting with potential partners that may be interested in responding to the upcoming Multisite RFP, click here to fill out a partner form.

NEXT COHORT OF PILOTS AT BAT

The climate innovation program allows companies to pilot new and emerging technologies at NYCEDC’s flagship asset, the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT), avital 60-acre industrial campus on the South Brooklyn waterfront in Sunset Park.

Participating pilots will have access to parking spaces and electrical, roadways, waterfront access, plumbing and water systems, building façade and windows, roof areas, and heating and boiler systems. These spaces and infrastructure will offer a live environment for companies to test their technologies, develop their products, show viability for customers and investors, and tap into New York City’s economy, the ninth largest in the world.

The next cohort of companies selected to participate in NYCEDC’s Pilots at BAT program include:

• Benchmark Labs is a startup that aims to demonstrate in-situ sensors to provide actionable and more accurate AI-based weather forecasts at Pier 4 at BAT. Benchmark Labs is a graduate of the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, an initiative that accelerates the development of new technologies for the national and international offshore wind industry, to facilitate cost-efficiency gains.
• Matcha is a turnkey electric vehicle charging solution for multi-tenant property owners, especially apartments, using the Brooklyn Army Terminal pilot to enter the New York City market 
• ReVert Technologies is a startup that makes smart power adapters that uses AI and utility grid analytics to automate power delivery to plugged-in electronics, turning things off to save energy and reduce carbon emissions for people, businesses, and our planet.

Installation has already begun and will continue over the next few weeks. Piloting activities are expected to run for six months. NYCEDC accepts applications on a rolling basis for companies that are strategically aligned with NYCEDC’s industry development and real estate portfolio management objectives. Pilots are selected based on a number of criteria including industry need, impact, and feasibility. Pilots at BAT kicked off programming in September 2023 with the selection of three climate tech companies.

Critical to the Green Economy Action Plan is the creation of a new “Climate Innovation Hub” at BAT, which will help grow green technology startups and businesses – including supporting the Pilots at BAT program. Additionally, BAT in Sunset Park, has joined the Trust for Governors Island (TGI) and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) to create the Harbor Climate Collaborative, a green economy ecosystem across three campuses that will provide 6-million-square-feet for climate education, research, commercialization, and training.

In February, Mayor Adams, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), and NYCEDC, in partnership with Newlab, activated the first of five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city’s new six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of e-bikes by an initial group of 100 delivery workers. Including locations at BAT in Sunset Park and Essex Market in the Lower East Side, managed by NYCEDC.

“The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce applauds NYCEDC's continued commitment to advancing sustainability and fostering innovation in the borough, in alignment with New York City's Green Economy Action Plan,” said Vice President Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Dina Rabiner. “Initiatives such as the Pilots@BAT program, and the development of EV charging infrastructure, align with Brooklyn's values of environmental stewardship and economic growth. These significant efforts not only contribute to a greener future for our city but also create opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive in the growing green economy.”

“Providing testing opportunities for innovators is a critical piece to the New York City innovation puzzle and is aligned with the mission of NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Not only do the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub cohort companies currently utilize these valuable opportunities at BAT, but so do other clean tech incubation programs run by Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon. This expansion of the program will undoubtedly benefit entrepreneurs and enable a more inclusive and diverse supply chain of the future,” said Tone Søndergaard, Director, Offshore Wind Innovation Hub with Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

“Benchmark Labs provides point specific weather and wave forecasts through machine learning and IoT sensors. The Pilots at BAT program is a vital project for Benchmark Labs to demonstrate our forecasting technology for vessel operators and offshore wind developers in New York State. It is through opportunities like this that innovation companies are able to find their users and grow in New York. We are excited to provide the best forecasts to address this city's microclimates and protect its infrastructure during the challenges of climate change,” said BenchmarkLabs Co-founder, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Ulrik Soderstrom.

“Matcha is thrilled to be live at the Brooklyn Army Terminal with our EV chargers designed for shared use among renters. This location is such an exciting test bed for climate tech innovators to deploy and demonstrate value to NYC residents. In just two weeks we've already had dozens of new customers join our network as a result. There's no better place to “plug in” than with NYCEDC at the BAT! Learn more about Matcha and our no-install-cost EV chargers at matchaelectric.com” said Chris Kluesener, Cofounder and CEO, Matcha.

“Every Earth Day, you’ll see signs that say turn appliances off or unplug appliances to save energy. ReVert automated the cumbersome act for you with its AI powered plug load management solution. We are excited to demonstrate the solution at the BAT, turning office appliances off during after hours, weekends, holidays, and when people work from home so that every day can be Earth Day,” said ReVert CEO Ryan Li.

“We are thrilled that our climate portfolio company Matcha has been selected to deploy their EV chargers at the Brooklyn Army Terminal climate innovation hub. On this Earth Day, we want to underscore the importance of climate innovation and our commitment to investing in the climate companies working to help New York City and the world meet their climate goals,” said Murat Aktihanoglu, Co-Founder, & Managing Partner, Remarkable Ventures Climate and ERA.

Sunset Park in South Brooklyn is poised to be an emerging hub for climate innovation. The waterfront district has extensive industrial infrastructure, a diverse array of tenants and uses, and connection to major transportation networks. NYCEDC’s primary assets in Sunset Park include BAT, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and the Made in New York Campus (MiNY). Each of these assets provides unique opportunities for innovation, business development and support a just transition to decarbonize New York City’s economy.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.