For Immediate Release
Drive and Shine: Electric Vehicle and Solar Expo
Date: Sunday, September 10th
Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: City of Syracuse parking lot, corner of S. Clinton and W. Washington St.
Contact:
Katelyn Kriesel
315-422-8276 W
315-243-3351 C
kkriesel@cnyrpdb.org
www.facebook.com/solarizecny
Learn about the latest in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric cars (EVs) and solar power in Central New York at the “Drive and Shine” Expo being held on Sunday, September 10th in downtown Syracuse. Dozens of experts from the automotive and solar energy field will be available to answer your questions.
Clean vehicles and renewable energy sources like solar are critical to reaching the state’s goals of generating 50 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, and to achieve the internationally-recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Compared to gasoline-powered cars, electric cars are more energy efficient and cost about 50 to 70 percent less to operate per mile. Carbon emission savings from cars receiving rebates under the Drive Clean Initiative is expected to be 115,000 metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 24,000 cars off the road. Through the NY-Sun Initiative, the state has made a historic commitment of nearly $1 billion to stimulate the marketplace and add more than 3 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity in the state by 2023. That is the equivalent of adding enough solar energy to power 400,000 homes.
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 vehicle or plug-in hybrid, and learn about the state’s new Drive Clean Initiative rebate for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, for up to $2,000.
Attendees can also sign up for free quotes to install solar energy on their home or business, and learn more about the state and federal tax credit incentives that help to make going solar so affordable, or to learn about community solar, which became available in New York State last year and allows homeowner, renters and businesses to go solar without needing to install panels on their roof.
Join us for this fun and informative event highlighting two technologies that are helping thousands of Central New Yorkers take advantage of clean transportation and renewable energy!
Nonprofit organizations working on climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels will have tables, as will companies that specialize in energy conservation and renewable energy.
The organizers of Drive and Shine are recruiting electric vehicle and hybrid owners to join them at the expo! If you’re interested in participating, reach out to kkriesel@cnyrpdb.org for more information.
Worldwide, the gasoline engine is heading toward extinction sooner than most Americans realize. Norway has plans to require all new cars sold by 2025 to be electric. India, a market of a billion people, aims to have an all-electric car fleet by 2030. France and Great Britain are aiming to end the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2040. Volvo recently became the first mainstream automaker to sound the death bell of the internal combustion engine, saying that all of its models will be either plug-in hybrids or powered solely by batteries starting in 2019.
According to industry reports, US electric car sales reached a record market share in 2016, growing 30% compared to 2015 and accounting for more than 1% of all passenger cars sold last year at nearly 145,000 units. There are more EVs/PHEVs available to consumers now than ever before, with 30 models on the market in the United States.
According to NYSERDA, as of January 1st, 2017 there were over 16,000 EVs/PHEVs registered in NYS. According to the US Department of Energy, there are over 2,500 EV/PHEVs registered in the five-county Central New York Region.
The growth in the U.S. solar market has been even more impressive, with an unprecedented year in 2016 which saw more than 15 GW installed. Last year, solar ranked as the number 1 source of new capacity additions and in the first three months of 2017 solar accounted for 30% of all new electric generating capacity installed in the U.S., according to GTM Research. Total installed U.S. solar PV capacity is expected to nearly triple over the next five years. In Central New York, NYSERDA reports that solar grew by 1,246% from 2011 to 2016 to over 23.5 MW installed. New York now ranks 7th nationwide in the amount of solar capacity installed.
Details:
– Electric Vehicles will be available for test drives and ride alongs
– Solar installers will be available for customers to talk to about signing up for a free solar assessment
– Food Trucks, including Twisted Taco
– Live Music! Joe Driscoll, Colleen Kattau and Dos XX, more!
– City and state elected representatives will make an appearance
Hosted By: Sierra Club, the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB), SolarizeCNY, SUNY ESF, New Yorkers for Clean Power, Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), GreeningUSA, Climate Change Awareness and Action (CCAA) and Clean Communities of Central New York, and Detail Johnny
