EV Hub Puts Hancock “On the Map”
EV Stations Officially Open—Hancock residents, government representatives, and industry officials gathered Tuesday, Jan. 31 for a ribbon cutting officially opening the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations located on Hancock’s west end next to The Hancock Town Hall and Hancock Hounds Dog Park. From Left, Mike Argiros, President of the Hancock Partners Inc., Richard Lowe, Economic Development Coordinator of Hancock Partners Inc., Shelly Johnson-Bennett, Director of Planning and Watershed affairs for Delaware County, Geraldine Walsh, Co-President of The Hancock Hounds Dog Park (with Lucy), Justin Driscoll, New York Power Authority Acting President and CEO Justin Driscoll; NY Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, and Town of Hancock Supervisor Jerry Vernold. [Photo by Kristin Barron.]
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held to Officially Open Hancock’s EV Charging Stations By Kristin Barron
The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station hub on Hancock’s west end is officially open following a ribbon cutting ceremony held Tuesday afternoon, January 31. New York’s Lieutenant Governor, Antonio Delgado, EV industry officials, and town representatives gathered to celebrate the charging stations which have been operational for about a month, first lighting up the west end with their distinctive green and red lights in December around Christmas time.
Hancock’s station is not only the largest open-access fast-charging EV hub in the Southern Tier but also the second largest charging hub in New York State—second only to the hub at John F. Kennedy International airport, said New York Power Authority (NYPA) Acting President and CEO Justin Driscoll.
New York has seen an increase in EV sales, said Driscoll, bringing the number of EVs on the road to 127,000 and the total number of charging stations to around 9,000. For one installed DC fast charger, the average unit cost per charger is $45,293, and the average total project cost per DC fast charger is $124,665, according to greenlancer.com. “I couldn’t be more proud of the town’s commitment to a cleaner environment and a clean energy economy,” said Lieutenant Governor Delgado, who represented Hancock when he served as the U.S. representative from New York’s 19th congressional district from 2019 to 2022. Delgado arrived at the ceremony driving an EV.
The charging stations, located parallel to the Hancock Town Hall, are 16 in total. Eight are universal charging ports through the New York Power Authority and eight are specifically for Tesla vehicles. The charging site can also service new EV pickup trucks. Officials said the fast chargers can charge a vehicle in about 20 minutes.
“Any EV can charge right here,” said Delgado, “this is how you invest in our future.” New York’s 2019 Climate Change Act mandates that all new passenger cars and trucks be zero emission by 2035. The controversial mandate is part of New York’s aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. The state seeks to have 850,000 zero-emission vehicles in New York by 2025. The idea of building the chargers in Hancock was first brought to the attention of local officials by Valerie Senese, former Economic Development Coordinator for the Hancock Partners Inc. During the past 18 months, the Hancock Town Board has worked in cooperation with the New York Power Authority’s EVolve NY program to install the Hancock station. NYPA has 118 ports at 31 sites across the state and partnered with Tesla to bring the chargers to the Hancock community.
“We are willing to consider any future programs like this one that help to create much-needed jobs, while making the state more energy efficient,” said Hancock Town Supervisor Jerry Vernold.
Shelly Johnson-Bennett, Director of Planning and Watershed affairs for Delaware County, noted that Hancock was an ideal spot for a charging station. Recalling her college days, she noted that Roscoe and Hancock are frequent stopping points along Route 17 for travelers. There is a Tesla supercharger station maintained at the Roscoe Diner. The new Hancock charging station breaks up what is known as a “charging desert” between Roscoe and Binghamton.
The new station is also conveniently located next to the Hancock Hounds Dog Park, located behind the Hancock Town Hall. The park opened in 2021.
“We are delighted to have the charging station next to the dog park,” said Geraldine Walsh, Hancock Hounds co-president. Visitors now have the quick and accessible option of charging their vehicles while walking their dogs or exploring Hancock’s restaurants and businesses.