Revel is adding to its electric vehicle charging empire in New York City. The startup that started as an electric moped sharing service before launching an all-electric transportation platform and building New York’s first electric vehicle charging center announced Wednesday that it has broken ground on installing 24 electric vehicle fast chargers at John F. Kennedy International Airport. . The facility doubles the airport’s existing electric vehicle charging capacity.
This is the second time Revel has partnered with the Port Authority of New York, which acts as the owner and regulator of the city’s ports, to install fast chargers. The two are also building 48 fast-charging ports near LaGuardia Airport. Both airport projects are expected to be completed in 2025.
Revel and the Port Authority plan to place the chargers, which will be both CCS and NACS, in JFK’s west cell phone parking lot, which is where drivers, including Revel drivers, often wait for passengers to arrive.
The ports will be compatible with CCS and NACS plugs and promise to take an EV from 20% to 80% in 15 to 20 minutes.
Today, Revel has four public 24/7 fast charging stations with a combined total of 64 ports in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, with plans to add five more across the city, including two at JFK and LGA. The startup’s playbook has been to implement transportation services along with charging stations so that chargers get maximum utility. Today, Revel stations are about 50% used by Revel ride drivers and other electric vehicle owners, according to the company. A Revel spokesperson told britcommerce that most EV owners are drivers of competing platforms; Revel is offering Uber drivers a 25% discount on its sites as part of a partnership with the transportation and delivery giant. In October, Toyota and Revel agreed to offer owners of Toyota and Lexus electric vehicles free access to Revel charging stations.
“It is impossible to electrify ridesharing without a lot of charging near airports,” Frank Reig, co-founder and CEO of Revel, said in a statement. “Revel’s JFK site will be one of the most used fast charging stations in the country and, with the support of the Port Authority, we are on track to open it in a matter of months.”
Revel launched its transportation platform in 2021 as a service exclusively for Tesla and for all employees. Today, Revel’s fleet of 550 cars includes other electric vehicles, such as the Kia Niro. In September, the company laid off its employed drivers and implemented a gig system in place where it rents its cars to workers.
Revel is funding the installation of the charging ports at JFK. The startup has raised approximately $275 million to date, according to PitchBook, from investors including BlackRock, Toyota Ventures and Maniv, and is currently raising to fund its expansion, according to the company.
Outside of New York, Revel also recently broke ground on a charging station in downtown San Francisco and plans to launch it in the first quarter of 2025, and plans to launch another site in Los Angeles in 2026. A company spokesperson told britcommerce Revel has eight active leases for sites across the Bay Area, is actively acquiring other sites, and plans to launch more than 100 charging ports in the region in the coming years.