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--- {EVangel}
New York's Public Power Systems Ally to Promote Electric
Vehicles
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2002--The
New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Municipal Electric
Utilities Association of New York State (MEUA), whose
members serve 500,000 New York electricity consumers,
Wednesday announced a cooperative effort to promote the use
of electric vehicles in New York State.
"It is especially fitting that the public power systems of
the Empire State are uniting in an effort to promote
environmentally beneficial transportation choices for the
citizens of New York," said Eugene W. Zeltmann, president
and chief executive officer of the Power Authority.
"The municipal electric systems and rural electric
cooperatives of New York State are served by
hydroelectricity from the New York Power Authority. By using
that clean, renewable power to fuel emission-free electric
vehicles, New York's public power communities will showcase
their commitment to environmental quality," Zeltmann said in
remarks Wednesday to the MEUA Annual Conference in Saratoga
Springs.
"Electric vehicles can help address concerns about air and
noise pollution, as well as work to reduce our nation's
dependence on imported fuel sources," said Karl Lux,
president of the MEUA, which represents 46 municipal
electric communities and four rural electric cooperatives in
New York State. "This electric vehicle initiative is another
good example of MEUA and NYPA working together to serve our
customers.
"Our local public power systems hope to demonstrate the
practical day-to-day use of electric vehicles. We also plan
to make EVs available to schools for educational purposes
and to community groups to raise public awareness of the
benefits of electric vehicles," Lux said.
Following his remarks, Zeltmann presented the keys to a
Toyota Prius, a hybrid-electric vehicle, to Robert Mullane,
the MEUA's executive director. The vehicle, which NYPA is
lending to the MEUA for one year for business purposes, uses
a combination of gasoline and electric motors to increase
gas mileage and reduce tailpipe emissions.
A "Ride and Drive" exhibition of electric vehicles at the
MEUA Annual Conference kicked off the new effort. In
addition to a Prius, vehicles made available for test drives
by mayors and other municipal electric system officials
attending the conference included:
- Ford's Th!nk City, an all-electric vehicle that NYPA is
now deploying in its "Clean Commute" station car project
in Metropolitan New York;
- Toyota's RAV4-EV, an all-electric SUV;
- Ford's EV Ranger, an all-electric pick-up truck;
- Ford's Th!nk Neighbor, an open-air, low-speed EV;
- John Deere's Gator EV, an all-electric utility vehicle;
- Electric bicycles and scooters.
"Under the leadership of Governor George E. Pataki, New York
State has become a pacesetter in electric transportation,"
Zeltmann said.
New York State's efforts to promote electric and other
clean-fueled vehicles include rigorous vehicle emission
standards, tax incentives and Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act
funding for EVs and other clean-fueled vehicles in mass
transit and government fleets. In 2001, Governor Pataki
issued an Executive Order requiring that all new light-duty
state vehicles be alternative-fueled vehicles by 2010 with
the exception of specialty, police or emergency vehicles.
This summer, the state legislature approved legislation
proposed by Governor Pataki to enhance tax incentives for
the purchase of hybrid-electric vehicles.
The New York Power Authority is the nation's largest
supplier of electricity for mass transit, powering the
subway and commuter trains of metropolitan New York. NYPA
has put into service some 350 EVs of various sizes and
purposes around the state for use by its customers as well
as at its own facilities. In 2000, these vehicles passed the
million-mile mark for combined electric-vehicle mileage,
making NYPA the first utility in the Northeast to achieve
this milestone.
NYPA's electric transportation projects include
station/commuter cars, hybrid-electric transit buses,
all-electric school buses and shuttle buses, small urban
electric vehicles and electric delivery vans and trucks. In
addition to its EV initiatives, NYPA is working on a number
of other projects to promote clean transportation
technologies, including pollution control devices on New
York City school buses and electric technology to curb
emissions from idling trucks.
CONTACT: New York Power Authority Stephen Shoenholz,
914/390-8165 SOURCE: New York Power Authority 08/28/2002
14:45 EASTERN
===
Electric Vehicle Clean Commute Program Sparks Interest of
Long Islanders
HUNTINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2002--The major
partners in the nation's largest electric station car
demonstration project gathered today at Huntington Station
to herald the program's success on Long Island.
The Clean Commute program was launched in October by the New
York Power Authority and Ford Motor Company's electric
vehicle group, TH!NK Mobility, in conjunction with the Long
Island Power Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority. Begun with the goal of leasing 100 emission-free
TH!NK city electric vehicles to suburban commuters, the
program has exceeded expectations on Long Island.
"The NYPA/TH!NK Clean Commute program is a direct outgrowth
of Governor Pataki's commitment to providing New Yorkers
with environmentally sensitive transportation choices," said
Bart Chezar, NYPA Manager of Electric Transportation.
"Electric vehicles can contribute to improving air quality
and protecting the health of all New Yorkers -while at the
same time cutting our dependence on foreign oil."
In response to the demand for the TH!NK city, NYPA and Ford
reassigned 10 vehicles from other localities to Huntington
Station. With support from LIPA, Long Island Rail Road and
the Town of Huntington, the station can now support 25
vehicles.
With the expansion, Long Island is now the regional leader
in the Clean Commute program, representing 40 percent of the
program's vehicles.
The Clean Commute Program is a major step forward in
establishing common-sense commuting alternatives," said LIPA
Chairman Richard M. Kessel. "Through Governor George
Pataki's leadership, LIPA, NYPA, the LIRR and Huntington and
Oyster Bay Towns are working together to help keep Long
Island's air a little cleaner and our roads a little less
congested."
Funding for LIPA's commitment to the Clean Commute program
is provided under its Clean Energy Initiative, a five-year,
$170 million program, originally proposed by Governor Pataki
and designed in part to foster development and application
of clean energy technologies
"At the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) we are dedicated to
environmentally responsible transportation and this is a
smart step in that direction," said LIRR President Ken
Bauer. "The energy independence that is created by this
program and other programs like it has never been more
valuable."
To date, Ford has leased 95 TH!NK city EV's to commuters
from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Queens, Nassau and
Suffolk counties for $199 per month. Clean Commute
participants use charging stations at the commuter train
station's parking lots, where their vehicles are repowered
during the work day. Participants also have charging
equipment installed at their homes to broaden the
opportunity for greater vehicle use.
Local Ford dealers assigned to lease the TH!NK city directly
to consumers provide maintenance service and basic vehicle
instruction. The TH!NK city is a two-passenger EV with a
range of approximately 50 miles and a top speed of nearly 55
miles per hour. It is manufactured by Ford's TH!NK Nordic
subsidiary in Norway.
NYPA's electric transportation program has deployed more
than 300 electric vehicles, ranging from full-sized transit
buses to battery-powered bicycles. NYPA-deployed electric
vehicles have exceeded the 1.6 million EV-miles.
CONTACT: New York Power Authority Brian Warner,
914/390-8183 SOURCE: New York Power Authority 08/28/2002
13:55 EASTERN
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