The continued expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) is largely dependent on a vast public charging network. On Nov. 1, 2023, officials in Albany, N.Y., announced the expansion of the state’s growing infrastructure with the installation of an electric vehicle charging hub in a downtown parking garage.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the installation, which is the product of a partnership between the New York Power Authority and the Albany Parking Authority.

The hub is located in the Quackenbush public parking garage. The 879-space facility already has nine Level 2 chargers operated by the parking authority. The new installation adds four fast chargers to the site.

One of the new chargers is equipped with a combined charging system charger rated at up to 350 kilowatts (kW). The other three are rated up to 150 kW. According to the Power Authority, its DC fast chargers can charge most of the battery capacity in any make or model of EV in as little as 20 minutes.

The Albany hub is part of the New York Power Authority’s EVolve NY network. The $250-million program is intended to make EVs affordable and convenient in New York state, with the goal of installing up to 400 new EV fast charging stations throughout the state by 2025. The Power Authority now boasts nearly 150 charging ports at 38 sites along statewide major travel corridors.

The city-owned Quackenbush garage, at 25 Orange St. in downtown Albany, was selected as an EVolve NY site because of its proximity to the New York Thruway and its urban setting, with nearby amenities and popular gathering spots.

For its part, the city of Albany has also been proactive on the installation of EV chargers. The city parking authority has previously installed another 10 Level 2 chargers in the Riverfront and Green-Hudson garages.