Kisco Trustees Back Electric Car Charging Stations

Mount Kisco's Village Board of Trustees voted Monday night to authorize the village to seek a federal grant for as many as four electric car charging stations.

Village officials described electric vehicles as an emerging trend that they can get into.

Village Manager James Palmer described it as “one of those areas where demand will probably increase over time.”

Supportive of the idea, Mayor Michael Cindrich said that "we have to incentivize the use of electric vehicles."

The mayor sees electric vehicles as a way to control global warming and help with reducing fossil fuels. He also felt that the village can get "ahead of the curve" if it is done.

The grant is through the U.S. Department of Energy and the cost of each station would be paid for through it. However, Mount Kisco would be responsible for the installation and maintenance. A contractor called ChargePoint would be involved with the machines.

Joseph Cerretani, a management intern for reports to Palmer, crunched the numbers of the proposal and gave the board a conservative assumption that $5,000 would be needed for the installation. He also noted that several neighboring communities, including New Castle, Bedford and Croton-on-Hudson, are participating in the same program.

The estimated annual expenses for the machines would be around $1,500. Cerretani assumed about $6,000 in annual revenue, with a pay-back of the upfront cost in roughly four and a half years.

The areas of the village potentially considered for the stations are the South Moger lot and North Moger lot - they have commuter parking for people who take Metro-North trains - along with two closer to village hall, with the Blackeby lot as an example. In the Blackeby example, Palmer noted that the village, should it acquire electric vehicles to use, could plug into the stations, which would be shared with the public.

The vote was 4-1, with Trustee Karen Schleimer voting against it. She said, “I feel that we need more study.”

The village would own the machines, Cerretani said, and it typically takes 2-4 hours for a fill up. The cost is typically around $1 per hour, he said, and the charging station can only be used for one parking spot at a time.

The topic of electric cars in Mount Kisco will continue this year. Cindrich announced that an electric vehicle show, backed by the Bedford 2020 environmental group, will be held in April at Grand Prix New York.