BUFFALO, N.Y. — Across Western New York more businesses are installing EV charging stations for their customers.
You can find them in places like parks, bowling alleys, and parking ramps.
And now one restaurant in Buffalo's Old First Ward hopes it will help them attract new customers, too.
"If they can become familiar with this place and if we can enchant them with a delicious meal at the same time it will make them think, 'Hey, where are we gonna go when we need a little charge to get around town?' And 'why don’t we just stop at Gene McCarthy's and have a meal," said Bill Metzger, owner of Gene McCarthy’s.
Business owners can apply for incentives with National Grid to install charging stations.
Even with those new additions, many worry Western New York lacks the infrastructure to keep up with demand.
The EPA is expected to release new guidelines on Wednesday that aim for more than half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 to be fully electric.
But in Western New York, there is roughly one charging port for every 10 EV and hybrid drivers according to National Grid.
That may seem like a lot but experts tell us it doesn't come close to meeting the demands of these new EPA guidelines.
Some drivers also are struggling with the up-front cost of switching to electric vehicles, paying on average $16,000 more than a gas-powered vehicle.
And one expert told 2 On Your Side that it could take a decade for drivers to see a return on that investment.
"Your total cost is more than just the cost of the vehicle. And whatever a charging station costs. It's what it's going to cost you for insurance depreciation, and resale value, and you're most likely going to have to lease it in order to get that tax credit, " Lauren Fix, with Car Coach Reports, said.
Those tax credits add up to about $7500 from federal credits and $2,000 from the state.
But a recent act put in place by the Biden Administration to reduce inflation is putting more requirements on electric vehicle manufacturers that limit tax credits to vehicles and batteries manufactured in the US.