If you drive an EV in New York City and don't have a garage, charging can feel like a second job. That's about to get easier: New York City is replacing its small curbside charging pilot with a permanent network that will grow from 88 Level 2 charging points to nearly 700 across all five boroughs over the next three years.
But there's an interesting twist. The new system is designed around a detachable charging cable rather than leaving a thick cable permanently hanging from every street charger. That could mean less street clutter and fewer exposed cables — but EV owners will need to understand how the system actually works before they pull up to one.
- The Problem: Thousands of New York EV drivers park on the street without access to a private garage or home charger.
- The Infrastructure Shift: NYC is moving from 88 curbside Level 2 charging points to nearly 700 across all five boroughs.
- The Practical Fix: The new network uses a detachable-cable design, with it's electric providing charging cables to drivers through its system.
The Real EV Problem Isn't the Battery — It's Where You Park
In most American suburbs, owning an EV and charging one are basically the same problem: install a charger in the garage and plug in overnight.
New York City doesn't work that way.
NYC DOT says half of the city's car owners rely on street parking, while many residents live in apartments without private off-street parking. That's a massive problem for EV ownership because the easiest charging location — your own driveway — simply doesn't exist for millions of people.
The city's existing curbside Level 2 network has already shown how strong the demand is.
NYC DOT says its 88 existing curbside charging points are occupied by an EV more than 70% of the time, with some locations approaching 99% occupancy. The chargers actively deliver energy more than 85% of the time they are occupied.
Translation: New York didn't build a bunch of chargers that nobody uses.
It built too few.
Now the city is adding roughly 600 more curbside charging points, bringing the total to nearly 700.
And that changes the equation for people who have been thinking, "I'd buy an EV, but where the hell would I charge it?"
Why These Chargers Don't Need a Giant Cable Hanging From the Pole
Here's the part that caught Reddit's attention.
The new system from Brooklyn-based it's electric uses a detachable charging cable. Instead of leaving a permanent cable attached to the charger where it can sit outside in rain, snow, traffic and reach of vandals, the driver connects a separate cable between the charging post and the vehicle.
The company says drivers can request a free charging cable through its system. Its current driver information also describes the basic process as: find a charger, request a cable, plug in and charge.
That design solves a surprisingly annoying urban problem.
A permanent cable has to live outside 24/7.
It can be damaged.
It can be stolen.
It can become another piece of street clutter.
A detachable cable moves the vulnerable part into the driver's possession instead.
That's not some futuristic charging trick. It's a practical design choice for a city where every inch of sidewalk and curb space is already being fought over.
The Numbers: Old NYC Network vs. What's Coming
| EV Charging Metric | Current Curbside Network | New NYC Expansion |
|---|---|---|
| Curbside charging points | 88 Level 2 points | Nearly 700 total |
| Expansion | Pilot network | 600 additional points |
| Rollout | Existing | Over the next 3 years |
| Coverage | Five boroughs | Five boroughs |
| Typical charging | Level 2 AC | Level 2 AC |
| Cable design | Existing pilot uses fixed connectors | Detachable cable system |
| Best for | Drivers with no home charger | Street-parked EV owners |
NYC DOT says each new charging site will have at least two charger posts, with two charging points per post, meaning four charging points per site. The city is prioritizing dense neighborhoods with limited off-street parking and large concentrations of TLC-licensed drivers.
Initial neighborhoods include parts of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island.
So this isn't simply "put chargers everywhere."
The city is trying to put them where people actually need them.
The Catch Nobody Should Ignore
700 chargers sounds huge.
For New York City, it really isn't.
The city has millions of residents and a huge number of vehicles competing for limited curb space. Even Reddit users immediately pointed out the math: hundreds of chargers are a major improvement, but they're still a tiny fraction of the city's enormous parking supply.
That means availability will matter.
A charger two blocks away doesn't help much if it is occupied every time you arrive.
And the city knows this. The existing network's high utilization is one of the clearest signals that demand is already there.
There's another issue: curb space.
Every charging space is also a parking space that can't be used by a gasoline car, delivery vehicle, moving truck or someone simply looking for a place to park.
That creates a genuine urban tradeoff.
The chargers solve one problem while competing for the same limited street space as everything else.
What EV Owners Should Know Before Using One
1. This Is Level 2, Not DC Fast Charging
Don't expect a five-minute coffee stop to give you hundreds of miles.
NYC's curbside network is primarily Level 2 charging. NYC DOT lists Level 2 as using roughly 240-volt electricity, with charging speeds of up to around 20 miles of range per hour depending on the vehicle and conditions.
That's slow compared with DC fast charging.
But that's not really the point.
Curbside Level 2 is designed for the time you're already parked.
Dinner.
Sleeping.
Working.
Visiting friends.
Running errands.
If your car is sitting at the curb for several hours anyway, charging happens in the background.
2. Don't Confuse the Cable With the Charger
This is where some of the Reddit discussion got understandably messy.
The detachable cable doesn't mean you're plugging your car into a random 240-volt wall outlet.
The charging equipment remains in the station. The removable cable connects the station to the vehicle.
It's closer to removing the most exposed part of the charging hardware from the street rather than removing the charger itself.
It's Electric's system is specifically designed around this approach, and the company says its drivers can receive the necessary cable through its network.
3. Don't Park in the Space Unless You're Actually Charging
This is important.
These aren't ordinary parking spots with a fancy pole next to them.
NYC says curbside EV spaces are reserved for vehicles actively charging. Vehicles parked there without charging can be subject to enforcement.
In other words, leaving your gasoline car there while you grab lunch isn't going to make anyone happy.
Three Things This Could Change for NYC EV Drivers
1. Apartment living becomes less of a deal-breaker.
If you live in a building without a garage, curbside charging gives you another way to own an EV without installing hardware at home.
2. Rideshare drivers get a much more practical charging option.
NYC says the expansion is specifically targeting neighborhoods with high concentrations of TLC-licensed drivers. The city currently estimates that TLC drivers conduct around 3 million EV trips each month.
3. Charging starts looking more like parking.
That's probably the biggest shift.
Instead of driving across town specifically to find a charging station, the goal is to charge where the car is already parked.
That's how EV infrastructure makes sense in a dense city.
The charger comes to the car.
Not the other way around.
The Bottom Line
New York City's move from 88 curbside Level 2 charging points to nearly 700 is less about building flashy charging stations and more about solving a brutally ordinary problem: millions of people simply don't have a driveway.
The detachable-cable approach from it's electric is also interesting because it treats the cable as something you carry, rather than something the city leaves exposed on the sidewalk. The company has already used this model in other cities and says its system is designed to reduce clutter and cable-related problems.
But 700 chargers won't magically eliminate NYC's charging shortage.
The real test comes after installation: Are the chargers available when drivers need them? Are they reliable? Are parking rules enforced? And can the city keep adding charging capacity without turning every block into another parking fight?
New York is about to find out.
Would you actually buy an EV if you could charge it right outside your apartment, or is curbside charging still too much of a hassle? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
🛡️ DAYLL Editorial Transparency
This post was researched and synthesized by the Dayll consumer editorial team. We test, verify, and cross-reference public policies and insider tips to bring you actionable advice without sponsor influence.
