Inside Brooklyn’s Battery-Backed EV Charging Hub
Fast EV charging in dense cities has always come with a catch. Power is limited, space is tight, and grid upgrades are expensive. A new project in Brooklyn is taking a different route by putting batteries at the center of the solution.
In Williamsburg, a large battery-backed EV charging depot is scheduled to come online in Q2 2026. Once operational, it will rank among the largest charging sites of its kind in the U.S., designed specifically for urban demand rather than highway stops.
The project is led by XCharge North America in partnership with Energy Plus. The site will operate under Energy Plus’ Eplug brand and is located in Williamsburg, where EV adoption continues to grow but grid capacity remains constrained.
At full buildout, the depot will feature 44 GridLink units from XCharge. Each unit combines DC fast charging with integrated battery storage and can deliver up to 300 kW of power. In total, the site will serve 88 parking spaces and be backed by 9.46 megawatt-hours of battery storage.
The batteries change how the site interacts with the grid. Instead of pulling large amounts of power during peak demand, the system charges its batteries during off-peak hours. That stored energy is then released when drivers plug in, smoothing demand and reducing strain on local infrastructure.
“On-site battery storage allows high-power charging to exist where grid capacity would normally be a limiting factor.”
This model is especially relevant in cities like New York City, where electricity costs are high and grid congestion is a constant challenge. Traditional fast-charging sites often require costly upgrades and long permitting timelines. Battery-backed systems reduce those hurdles while keeping charging speeds competitive.
Energy Plus designed the Eplug concept around everyday city use. The focus is compact layouts, predictable uptime, and locations that fit naturally into existing neighborhoods. The Williamsburg site is also designed with fleet operators in mind, offering fast turnarounds and consistent availability for commercial vehicles that rely on tight schedules.
Beyond individual drivers, fleet charging is becoming a major driver of urban infrastructure. Delivery vans, ride-share vehicles, and service fleets need fast charging that does not depend on perfect grid conditions. Battery-backed depots offer a practical answer.
Energy Plus plans to use the Brooklyn project as a blueprint for future Eplug locations in other major U.S. cities. The company has signaled plans for clear pricing, loyalty programs, and partnerships with nearby businesses to keep charging closely tied to local communities.
The project also supports broader resiliency goals. Adding decentralized battery storage at the neighborhood level can help buffer peak demand and improve local energy stability, while still keeping chargers available when drivers need them most.
The lesson is straightforward. Scaling urban charging is less about raw power and more about smart energy management.
Source: Electrek
