Press Release: National Drive Electric Week - Syracuse
For Immediate Release
National Drive Electric Week - Syracuse
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019
Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Public lot, corner of South Clinton and West Washington Streets, Syracuse, NY
Contact:
Chris Carrick
315-422-8276 x1213
ccarrick@cnyrpdb.org
The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB) together with HeatSmart CNY, and Alliance for a Green Economy will be hosting a National Drive Electric Week event at the public parking lot on the corner of South Clinton and West Washington Streets on Sunday, September 15, 2019.
This event will highlight all you need to know about becoming more energy efficient and reducing your carbon footprint through electrification of transportation and building heating and cooling. The event is one of more than 300 events across the country (and around the world) where communities will gather to celebrate National Drive Electric Week and the role that reducing transportation emissions plays in combating climate change, along with the personal and consumer benefits of EVs.
This Ride and Drive event will allow attendees to experience electric vehicles and Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations first-hand. Attendees will be able to ask car dealerships about their new models and take one for a test drive, or to talk with electric vehicle owners and ride along in their electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Attendees can learn about federal tax credits up to $7,500 for purchasing an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, as well as New York’s Drive Clean rebate for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles for up to $2,000 off at the time of sale.
Representatives from National Grid will also be in attendance to discuss their Drive Green with National Grid initiative, which is a program that provides discounts on electric vehicles. “Transportation is the largest contributor of Greenhouse Gas emissions in the Northeast,” said Alberto Bianchetti, National Grid Central New York Regional Executive. “We are committed to electrifying transportation in the region where we operate and looking at how we can address electric vehicle awareness, access, and affordability. At Ride and Drive events like these, we can work hand in hand with other organizations to educate customers and advance the transition toward a clean energy future.”
HeatSmart CNY will also be in attendance with exhibits by campaign installer partners to further explain how you can bring modern, comfortable, environmentally friendly heating and cooling to your home or business.
Funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), HeatSmart CNY is a grassroots community initiative to support residents and businesses in exploring ways to improve how they heat and cool their buildings. HeatSmart CNY will connect residents and businesses to local heating and cooling experts who offer energy efficiency retrofits and the latest energy efficient technologies, such as geothermal systems, cold climate air source heat pumps, and hot water heat pumps. The campaign is a partnership between the CNY RPDB and Alliance for a Green Economy, and it is directed by community leaders who are volunteering their time to support this effort.
HeatSmart CNY is working with three partner installers that were selected through a competitive process, including Halco, Snug Planet, and the Ground Up Alliance (which is partnership between Geotherm and A.C.E.S). Together, these companies offer a variety of solutions for reducing the amount of energy you need to heat your home, improving comfort, and heat pump installation. To have one or more of our partner installers visit your home or business and provide advice on options and opportunities, enroll with the program. During enrollment, you will be asked to choose which installer(s) you would like to contact you for a free, no obligation site visit.
For more information and to register to attend National Drive Electric Week - Syracuse, please visit https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=1591 or https://www.facebook.com/events/637128360108560/.
For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit: https://driveelectricweek.org/events.php.
Details:
10 different models of Electric Vehicles will be available for viewing, test drives, and ride-alongs, including: Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid, Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid, Nissan Leaf EV, Tesla Model 3 EV, Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, and more!
Local dealerships will be attending and offering test drives of their EVs and PHEVs
HeatSmart CNY and partner installers Halco, Snug Planet, and the Ground Up Alliance will be available to discuss energy efficiency and heat pump opportunities for your home or business
Remarks from Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh
Live Music from Joe Driscoll
Activities for children
Hosted by the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB), HeatSmart CNY, and Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE). National Drive Electric Week is presented by Plug In America, Sierra Club, and Electric Auto Association. Nissan Leaf® is the Exclusive Automotive Sponsor.
More information on electric vehicles, electrification, and solar energy:
Clean vehicles, energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy are critical to reaching the state’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and by 85 percent by 2050, as well as the state’s renewable energy goal of generating 70 percent of New York’s electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030 and a zero-carbon emission electric sector by 2040.
Compared to gasoline-powered cars, electric cars are more energy efficient and cost about 50 to 70 percent less to operate per mile. Charge NY is New York State’s initiative to get more electric cars and trucks on the road. Since 2011, electric car sales have surpassed 30,000, and the State is focused on raising awareness of technology and supporting the installation of more charging stations to make it easier to travel anywhere in New York in an electric vehicle.
Worldwide, the gasoline engine is heading toward extinction sooner than most Americans realize. Norway plans to require all new cars sold by 2025 to be electric. India, a market of a billion people, is forming a policy to work towards electrification of all new vehicles by 2030. The United Kingdom’s Road to Zero strategy aims to end the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2040. Denmark has also proposed an eventual ban of internal combustion vehicles. China’s market for electric vehicles is growing quickly and is on track to sell over two million electric vehicles in 2019.
Volvo is the first mainstream automaker committed to electrification, promising that all of its new models will be hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or all electric vehicles starting in 2019, and with a goal of having over one million electrified vehicles on the road by 2025. General Motors also is on board, pushing the federal government to adopt a National Zero Emissions Vehicle program for passenger cars and light trucks which would require at least 7% of new vehicles sold to be zero emissions vehicles in 2021, increasing by 2% each year to 25% by 2030.
According to industry reports, US electric car sales reached a record market share in 2018, growing 81% compared to 2017 and accounting for more than 2% of all passenger cars sold last year at nearly 361,307 units. There are more EVs/PHEVs available to consumers now than ever before, with more than 40 models on the market in the United States.
According to NYSERDA, as of February 28, 2019 there were close to 39,000 EVs/PHEVs registered in NYS and 1,275 EV/PHEVs registered in the five-county Central New York Region.
In Upstate New York, the electric energy grid is very clean, with the generation resource mix at close to 40% renewable energies (hydro, biomass, wind, solar). Therefore, making the switch from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles and converting conventional home heating fuels (i.e. natural gas, propane, fuel oil) to heat pumps are very effective in terms of reducing emissions.
Buildings that are currently heated with propane, fuel oil, or electric resistance heating can also expect significant cost savings by converting to an air source or ground source (geothermal) heat pump. Even more savings can be achieved by completing energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and air sealing, as a first step!