NYCx Moonshot Challenge Announced
The city's mayor and other officials called on the tech industry to develop solutions to scale EV charging hubs and speed up the use of electric vehicles across New York City.
The NYCx moonshot challenge was unveiled on Dec. 18, with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; NYC Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamiño, Jr.; Mark Chambers, director of the New York City Mayor's Office of Sustainability; and city Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg joining to call on the tech industry to develop solutions to scale electric vehicle charging hubs and a plan to accelerate the use of EVs citywide.
Though the cost of electric cars and trucks has become more affordable, EV infrastructure must be in place to help NYC drivers make the switch, which will help achieve the city's climate goals. The city's transportation sector currently accounts for nearly 30 percent of local greenhouse gas emissions, 90 percent of which comes from private vehicle use.
The NYCx climate moonshot challenge invites global tech stakeholders to develop solutions to help drivers more easily make the shift away from fossil fuels to cleaner vehicles and to develop a plan to incentivize EV usage. "We are continuing to be aggressive in addressing the threat of climate change," said de Blasio. "NYCx is mobilizing tech to accelerate our actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and calling on the disruptors and tech experts to join."
Winning solutions will complement previously announced plans to develop new, fast charging stations across the city with a $10 million investment to develop hubs with up to 20 chargers per site. Up to four finalists will be awarded $20,000 each to develop and present proposals to staff from the NYC DOT and Mayor's Office of Sustainability. The winner will be eligible to have elements of its submission included in the city's EV charging roadmap. The administration's target is to have 20 percent of motor vehicle registrations in New York City be electric by 2025.
"This new moonshot challenge is a call to action for technology to deliver breakthroughs that positively impact New York City and unite around a global issue," said Gamiño. "The superpower of the public sector is collaboration and partnership to solve common global problems."
"DOT has made a central goal of our Strategic Plan the reduction of carbon emissions by our own fleet," said Trottenberg. "As the city embarks on an ambitious program to expand electrical vehicle charging infrastructure, we look forward to the innovative ideas arising from this challenge that will inform our own approach and maximize the usage of EV charging stations."
Competition participants can submit proposals online here.