Revel further expands its electric vehicle charging empire in New York City. The company announced Wednesday that it has broken ground on installing 24 EV fast chargers at John F. Kennedy International Airport. This installation will double the airport's existing EV charging capacity.
This is the second time Level has partnered with the New York Port Authority, which acts as the city's port landlord and regulator, to install fast chargers. The companies are also building 48 fast-charging ports near LaGuardia Airport. Both airport projects are scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Revel and the Port Authority of New York plan to install chargers that support both the integrated charging system and North American charging standards in JFK Airport's West Cellular Parking Lot, where drivers, including Revel dispatch drivers, often wait. . Passengers arriving.
These ports promise to charge EVs from 20% to 80% within 15-20 minutes.
Revel started as an electric moped sharing service, then launched an all-electric ride-hailing platform, built New York's first EV charging hub, and now operates four public 24/7 fast-charging stations . These ports total 64 in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, and the company plans to add five more in the city, including two at JFK and LaGuardia.
The startup's strategy was to develop a ride-hailing service alongside the chargers to maximize charger utilization. Revel says its stations are used evenly between ride-hailing drivers and other EV owners.
A Revel spokesperson told TechCrunch that the majority of these EV owners are ride-hailing drivers for competing platforms. The company is offering Uber drivers a 25% discount on its website as part of its partnership with the ride-hailing and delivery giant. Toyota and Rebel reached an agreement in October to give Toyota and Lexus EV owners free access to Rebel charging stations.
“Rideshare electrification is not possible without sufficient charging near airports,” Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig said in a statement. “The Revell JFK site will be one of the most utilized fast charging stations in the country, and with support from the Port Authority, we expect to open within the next few months.”
Revel launched its ride-hailing platform in 2021, featuring all Tesla vehicles driven by its own employees. However, in September, the company laid off its employee drivers and introduced a gig work system in which it rents out its own cars to employees. Currently, the company's fleet of 550 vehicles also includes other EVs such as the Kia Niro.
Revel is funding the installation of charging ports at JFK Airport. According to PitchBook, the startup has raised about $275 million so far from investors including BlackRock, Toyota Ventures, and Maniv, and is currently looking to raise more money to fund its expansion. It is said that there is.
Outside of New York, Rebel recently broke ground on a charging station in downtown San Francisco (the station is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025) and has plans to open a location in Los Angeles in 2026. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that Revel has active leases for eight sites across the Bay Area and is actively acquiring others, with plans to expand in the coming years. The company plans to open more than 100 charging ports in the region.