NYPA President Presents Electric Car to Hostos C.C.

    NEW YORK--Oct. 16, 2001--Citing it as a symbol of new, clean technologies for the South Bronx and other areas, Eugene W. Zeltmann, president and chief operating officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), presented a Toyota RAV4 electric vehicle (EV) Tuesday to Dolores Fernandez, president of Hostos Community College, for use by the college in student recruitment and at public events.
    "The visibility of this vehicle and those used by others will help to further promote interest in this clean technology and lower its costs," said Zeltmann. "Thanks to Governor Pataki and organizations like Hostos Community College, the Power Authority has helped to put more than 200 EVs of various kinds on New York State roads. This is a logical extension of our role as the country's largest supplier of electricity for mass transit."
    Fernandez said, "Using the electric RAV4 instead of an ordinary car will allow us to contribute toward cleaner air as well as educate New Yorkers about new, environmentally sound transportation choices. It also sends a hopeful signal to our community that we can look forward to improved air quality in the future."
    The RAV4 will be used by the Hostos admissions office at student recruitment drives, parades and other community events in the five boroughs. NYPA is providing the car through a one-year loan, which can be renewed.
    The Hostos EV comes equipped with a nickel-metal hydride battery that gives it a driving range of approximately 80 miles between full battery charges. The vehicle is nearly identical in appearance to Toyota's gasoline-powered RAV4 sport utility vehicle.
    "The environmental benefits from the widespread use of EVs are substantial, considering the fact that cars and trucks account for about one-third of the total amount of pollution in the air," said Zeltmann. "This is the main reason we've worked so hard under Governor Pataki's direction to help bring about their commercial development as an alternative to the internal combustion engine car."
    NYPA has spent millions of dollars on an electric transportation program that includes providing EVs for vehicle fleets operated by a number of public entities, such as Hostos, that receive its low-cost electricity. The EVs range from cars and pickup trucks to battery-powered bicycles and three-wheeled Cushman vehicles.
    The Power Authority has also been a leader in introducing electric and hybrid-electric buses as well as electric postal delivery vehicles.
    Last year, NYPA became the first electric utility in the Northeast to reach the "million-mile mark" for distances traveled for EVs operated by a utility and its customers.
    The Power Authority is the largest state-owned public utility in the nation, with hydroelectric and fossil-fueled generating facilities in various parts of New York State, along with more than 1,400 circuit miles of transmission lines. In addition to electric vehicles, NYPA is pioneering various other new, clean technologies, including solar power and fuel cells, with its most recent fuel cell unit a 200-kilowatt installation at North Central Bronx Hospital. NYPA is also investing more than $100 million this year in energy efficiency measures for public facilities throughout the state.