Over the next decade, New York City will take some of the first steps to transition to a fully electrified transportation system.

Last Wednesday, New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Electrifying New York; an ambitious plan to deploy 50,000 fast-charging stations across the city. But while switching from fossil fuels to electric vehicles is crucial for the city’s 2050 goal of reaching carbon neutrality, adding electric vehicle infrastructure could counteract some of the city’s other green goals, such as decreasing traffic and expanding alternative modes of transportation.

“Whether a vehicle is powered by electricity or by fossil fuels, its impact on pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists will still be felt,” said Luke Szabados, chairman for the Bronx Transportation Alternatives. “I’m all for transitioning away from fossil fuels, but when it comes to safety on our streets, then micro mobility and ease of pedestrian access is where we need to put our resources.”

But according to a report by DOT, the intent behind Electrifying New York isn’t to add more vehicles to the streets. Instead, the goal is to encourage New Yorkers who are already dependent on private vehicles, either because they live in “transit deserts” or physically simply can’t use public transportation, to switch to more climate-friendly options.

Kim Wiley-Schwartz, Assistant Commissioner of Education and Outreach at DOT and VisionZero safety coordinator, said the plan to electrify New York is designed to work holistically and in tangent with the city’s other green goals, such as lowering traffic and making the streets safer.

“Just because we add charging stations for electric vehicles doesn’t mean that an additional wave of traffic is going to emerge. It’s not a zero-sum game like that,” Wiley-Schwartz said. “But electric vehicles are likely to be the future, and we don’t want New York to be one of the last cities to adapt.”

Only a few days after Electrifying New York was published last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $75 million investment in electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support the city’s vehicle fleet. This funding will include 275 charging stations for electric busses, ambulances and trucks which are predicted to greatly increase in the coming decade.

According to NYC Clean Fleet Plan, the aim is to transition to all-electric on-road fleet units by 2040.

Melissa Checker, a professor of Urban Studies and Urban Sustainability at Queens College, said the city’s focus and funding should be applied to electrifying the city’s fleet, not private vehicles.

“I look for carbon neutrality, which means eliminating cars whenever possible. But obviously, we still need ambulances and school busses, so we should strive to electrify those,” she said. “But I also think that there's a lot of concerns by relying too heavily on electric cars as a way to green the city. Electric cars require lithium and copper and other kinds of minerals that have to be mined; and they are mined in developing countries.”