Long Island firm expanding EV charging with five new sites

Northport-based Get Charged Fast EV Charging and Kempower are expanding power access for electric vehicles with five new vehicle charging stations. 

Three of the EV fast-charging stations will be soon available at shopping centers in Elmont, Levittown and Commack. The companies just launched their first fast-charging station at the Glen Oaks Shopping Center in Queens and will soon open another in Whitestone. 

The new stations, each with eight dual-port Kempower Satellite chargers with NACS/CCS1 connectors, are coming soon to the Home Depot Shopping Center at 1760 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont; the Commack Shopping Center at 50 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack; and the Nassau Mall shopping center at 3601 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown. All of the properties are owned by the Feil Organization. 

The fast-charging stations feature free Wi-Fi, a few payment options, and don’t require new apps or memberships to access, according to a company statement. Get Charged rates start at $0.42 per kilowatt-hour, and ride share drivers, the high-volume, frequent flyers of EV charging, get juiced at a discounted rate.

“Get Charged is committed to providing fast, safe, and dependable charging infrastructure,” said Marc Horowitz, Get Charged Fast EV Charging co-managing partner. “Kempower is the ideal partner for supplying innovative, world-class charging hardware to meet the fast-charging needs of the region and the industry.” 

At each location, Get Charged Fast leases eight existing parking spots and an additional 400 square feet to house its chargers and associated equipment. Besides the rent, the property owners also get a small percentage of the charging revenue, and the EV chargers allow retail landlords to provide an additional amenity to their shoppers. 

“Over the last five or six years, I’ve been approached many times by lots of different EV chargers, and we just kind of felt that the industry had matured enough at this point where we could make an intelligent decision for the benefit of the customers of our shopping centers, providing an amenity that wouldn’t necessarily be obsolete in a few years,” said Randall Briskin, vice president of retail leasing for Feil Organization. “And so we finally elected to take most of our shopping centers and allocate a few parking spaces for these EV chargers.” 

Horowitz said his firm is actively seeking other malls and shopping centers as prospective charging station sites on Long Island.  

“We offer the amenity to our landlords at zero cost to them and help them to draw in new shoppers, supporting the flow of traffic to their tenant businesses,” Horowitz told LIBN. “We take responsibility for everything needed, including design and engineering, construction, permitting and insuring, working with PSEG, maintenance, ownership and operation of the entire site. We install our own independent electric meter and use only top-of-the-line U.S. manufactured DC fast chargers.” 

While the lack of EV chargers has exacerbated “range anxiety,” a top concern for people considering purchasing electric vehicles, the number of charging stations has steadily increased. Nassau and Suffolk counties currently have 1,561 EV charging ports: 579 DCFC ports and 982 Level 2 ports, an overall increase of more than 500 ports from 2024. Those stations serve an ever-increasing number of vehicles, as there are now 87,304 EVs registered on Long Island, according to Drive Electric Long Island. 

“Drive Electric Long Island is very happy to hear of the expanding charging infrastructure on Long Island that will help support and complement charging on corridors here on Long Island,” Ronald Gulmi, chair of Drive Electric Long Island’s EV Infrastructure & Fleet Committee, told LIBN. “The new charging stations will complement charging done at workplaces, multi-unit dwellings and residences, helping to expand the range of electric vehicle travel.” 

Based in Finland, Kempower has its U.S. headquarters in Durham, N.C. Listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange, the company manufactures modular and scalable EV charging systems that are now in 66 countries. 

“Globally, EV drivers increasingly prefer charging spots with access to a variety of services like the Get Charged retail-centered charging hubs,” Kempower North America President Monil Malhotra said in the statement. “We’re pleased to work with Get Charged to provide accessible and convenient solutions for EV drivers across New York.”