HANCOCK –– Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the largest open-access electric vehicle (EV) fast charging hub in the Southern Tier region is now open. 

The New York Power Authority developed the 16-charger site at Hancock Town Hall, 661 West Main Street, Hancock, in Delaware County in partnership with Tesla along Route 17, a primary east-west travel corridor between the Hudson Valley and Western New York. It is also adjacent to a town-run dog park where EV drivers can walk their dogs while they charge. 

The EVolve NY hub is part of New York State’s effort to eliminate “fast charging deserts” and encourage the development of public charging infrastructure that is available to all New Yorkers and visitors. State officials say that fully electrifying the transportation sector will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that “pollute the state’s roadways and help the State reach its nation-leading climate and clean energy goals.” 

The new high-speed charging site includes eight universal charging ports installed by NYPA as part of its EVolve NY network and eight Supercharger ports by Tesla for its EVs. The large and well-lit site outside Hancock Town Hall can accommodate new EV pickup trucks and has plenty of parking and turnaround space. The stations are accessible for EV travel along Interstate 86 and Route 17.  

The fast chargers also border the new Hancock Hounds Dog Park and the site also will soon feature a community garden. The Town of Hancock partnered with NYPA to build the chargers through the EVolve NY program, coordinating its efforts with Hancock Partners, Inc., a non-profit organization that advances economic development opportunities in the region. The site chosen for the chargers once hosted oil tanks owned by John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co.