Revel, a Brooklyn-based electric mobility and infrastructure company, announced on Wednesday that it has been selected as a grand prize awardee for the $85 million New York Clean Transportation Prizes Program in the Electric Mobility Challenge category. Revel and its community partners, Green City Force and Empire Clean Cities, will receive $7 million in funding on top of a previously awarded $200,000 to develop their winning project, the Red Hook Recharge Zone.
The Red Hook Recharge Zone, located in — you guessed it — Red Hook, will include a Revel Superhub with 20 ultrafast EV charging stalls and a multi-use community center that will provide green jobs training to local residents. As part of Revel’s efforts to strengthen the grid, the site will include solar canopies, a fleet of 30 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable electric vehicles and battery energy storage infrastructure, creating an energy ecosystem that can provide clean electricity to the local community and increase grid reliability.
“As Revel continues to expand access to electric mobility and build the EV charging infrastructure that New Yorkers need, we’re especially focusing on neighborhoods like Red Hook that are long overdue for this kind of investment,” said Paul Suhey, Revel Co-founder & COO. “We’re grateful to Governor Hochul and NYSERDA for this opportunity and look forward to working with our partners to provide Red Hook residents with the resources they need to go electric.”
“Green City Force is thrilled to partner with Revel on this important environmental justice workforce initiative. We have had strong and deep roots in Red Hook for over a decade, and we see this partnership as another opportunity to strengthen those roots and ensure that Red Hook residents are at the forefront of significant investment in clean technology, good jobs, and a sustainable future,“ said Tonya Gayle, Executive Director of Green City Force.
“Publicly available EV Charging infrastructure is vital to accelerating adoption of zero-emission vehicles, particularly in cities like New York where many residents do not have access to charging at home. Empire Clean Cities is excited to continue our partnership with Revel, NYSERDA, and Green City Force to expand accessible fast charging options, offer EV workshops and trainings, and support pathways to green jobs” said Joy Gardner, Executive Director of Empire Clean Cities.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Projects like the Red Hook Recharge Zone represent everything our clean energy transition is about. Combining vehicle to grid charging, battery storage, solar and workforce development is a powerhouse package that will help build out access to electric vehicles, lower emissions and make the community more sustainable well into the future.”
The Red Hook Recharge Zone represents Revel’s latest investment in Red Hook, the home of the company’s first moped and EV service facility since 2019. Revel chose Red Hook for this project because the neighborhood lacks reliable access to EV charging and experiences higher-than-average levels of air pollution compared to the borough of Brooklyn and New York City overall. The Red Hook Recharge Zone aims to confront those issues and connect local residents with green jobs training.
This article originally appeared on BrooklynEagle.com.
EXCITING and I don’t even live in Red Hook, Brooklyn! I am a New Yorker and I am an NYC resident and I will be watching the entire Red Hook neighborhood because of the Newton Creek waterway cleanup (Superfund). It seems impossible AND existing technology says the cleanup IS actually possible with investment and facilities and careful consideration of scientific methods. All and any of these investments in the neighborhood are deserved and about time!