The EV charger buildout has a weak link – NYC is going after it

New York is putting more money behind a key piece of the EV transition that often gets overlooked: the people who keep chargers running.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) just landed $450,000 from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build and launch a workforce training program focused on maintaining and repairing EV charging infrastructure. The program will be delivered in partnership with the clean energy training and development company SmarterHelp, marking the company’s first initiative in New York City.

The funding is part of a broader $5 million NYPA effort to support workforce programs tied to New York State’s clean energy transition. Training is expected to kick off later this year at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, once a dedicated “Smart Lab” outfitted with EV chargers and training tools is up and running.

Participants will get hands-on training in electrical systems and codes, energy fundamentals, and EV charging equipment maintenance and repair. The program also provides industry certification preparation, with graduates earning recognized credentials and connecting with job placement opportunities through BNYDC and SmarterHelp.

It’s designed to be part-time, so working adults and people from underserved communities can keep working while they’re training. That approach is part of BNYDC’s broader push to make clean energy jobs more accessible and to create real pathways to economic mobility.

Graduates will be prepared for roles like EVSE field technician and electrical maintenance technician. In New York State, similar jobs have median wages of around $76,000 a year, with room for promotion.

Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su said the program is built around real-world needs: “Workforce development should be driven by actual jobs and designed around the lives people actually lead.”

NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “Through this collaboration with the Brooklyn Navy Yard and SmarterHelp, we’re not only strengthening the reliability of the state’s charging infrastructure, we’re creating new, accessible pathways into the clean energy workforce for New Yorkers.”

Electrek’s Take

The EV charging buildout needs more of this kind of investment.

There’s been a lot of focus on how many chargers are getting installed – especially with federal programs like NEVI – but the focus is now shifting more to performance and consistency, because keeping those chargers online is just as important. Having enough trained technicians in the field is an important factor in achieving that reliability.

Programs like this one target a real bottleneck: skilled labor. And by making the training part-time and accessible, it also addresses another challenge: who actually gets to participate in the clean energy economy.

If states are serious about scaling EV infrastructure, workforce development like this is crucial.

Read more: EV fast charging is stabilizing in the US – here’s what changed

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