National Drive Electric Week
NY Capital District Drive Electric Week & Sustainability Fair
Schenectady, NY
Sep 25, 2022
NY Capital District Drive Electric Week & Sustainability Fair
Schenectady, NY
Sep 25, 2022
| Day: | Sunday, September 25, 2022 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
| Time: | 10:00 am - 2:00 pm EDT |
| Location: | Schenectady City Hall/Schenectady Greenmarket 105 Jay St, Schenectady Schenectady, NY 12305 |
Event Report
SCHENECTADY – The City of Schenectady, Schenectady Greenmarket, Livingston Energy
Group, and the Capital District EV Drivers Group co-hosted the NYS Capital District Drive Electric Week and
Sustainability Fair on Sunday, September 25 during the Schenectady Greenmarket on Liberty
Street around Schenectady City Hall.
This event, part of the National Drive Electric Week initiative, is currently the largest in the nation for registered participants. The Electric Vehicle Fair featured over 70 personal electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), offerex ride-and-drive opportunities for attendees, and included dozens of vendors. The event had representatives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York Power Authority (NYPA), National Grid, and community businesses, organizations, and schools that support E-mobility and sustainability initiatives.
“We are proud to host the Capital District Drive Electric Week and Sustainability Fair in Schenectady,” said Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy. “Our community has a rich history of innovation, and we are committed to continuing that legacy into the 21st century through climate action and sustainability. From replacing city streetlights to advanced LEDs, to building municipal solar arrays, to expanding our EV charging infrastructure, and growing our municipal EV fleets – as Mayor I will ensure that Schenectady continues to lead the way on climate. I would like to thank our co-hosts Schenectady Greenmarket, Livingston Energy Group and Capital District EV Drivers for their critical partnership on this remarkable event here in the Electric City.”
The goal of National Drive Electric Week is to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Members of the Capital District EV Drivers Group and EV owners from across the Northeast have registered over 70 of their personal vehicles to display in the event. For the first time this year, the event featured ride-and-drive opportunities with Nemer Volkswagen and the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) taking participants on rides around "The Electric City" on their ZEV bus. The event also had a spotlight on schools showcasing Bethlehem Central School District’s ZEV Matthews Bus, and Schalmont High School’s new district EV. Solar Sal, a 100% electric solar-powered boat, was also on display.
“Schenectady Greenmarket is proud to co-sponsor this event with the City of Schenectady, Livingston Energy Group, and Capital District EV Drivers again this year following our successful Electric Vehicle Fair last year,” said Haley Viccaro, Board Chair of Schenectady Greenmarket. “Schenectady Greenmarket has prioritized being more green and sustainable with the formation of our Sustainability Committee and composting at the market on Sundays. This event highlights the important ways people can reduce their emissions and be more sustainable in their everyday lives, and brings more people downtown to explore and shop over the weekend in the Electric City.”
“Livingston Energy Group is proud to be part of the planning team to bring National Drive Electric Week to the City of Schenectady and the Schenectady Greenmarket,” said Kate Kruk, Director of Community Engagement for Livingston Energy Group and Event City Captain. “Livingston Energy Group prides itself on being a leader in advancing access to e-mobility and enjoys the opportunity to highlight the advances being made in sustainable transportation in the communities we serve. As an early adopter of EV technology myself, it is amazing to see on display the variety of electric vehicles available now and how dramatically it has increased in such a short time. As more consumers adopt EVs, Livingston Energy Group will be here to drive the deployment of EV infrastructure to support them.”
“As an EV driver, it’s so great to see the City of Schenectady celebrating electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in this way,” said Dave Holland, Planning Committee Member. “I attended this event last year, and it is so exciting to see that it’s doubled in size.” Holland showcased his all-electric Smart Fortwo that he customized to pay homage to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has been driving electric since 2019 and his wife recently purchased a PHEV.
The Electric Vehicle Fair took place in conjunction with Schenectady
Greenmarket, which operates year-round on Sundays from 10am-2pm around City
Hall from April-November and inside Proctors from December-March. Schenectady
Greenmarket attracts up to 3,000 customers each Sunday during the outdoor
market season with over 80 vendors on Jay, Franklin, and Clinton streets.
During the Electric Vehicle Fair, EV and plug-in hybrid vehicles parked along two
blocks of Liberty Street, where Schenectady-based company Livingston Energy
Group has 10 EV chargers for
public use in partnership with the city.
The City of Schenectady has received Climate Smart Community certification from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Clean Energy Community designation from NYSERDA. Under the leadership of Mayor McCarthy, the city has installed 28 EV chargers for public use and has added 22 hybrid and electric vehicles to the city’s municipal fleet. The city also recently acquired 62 lithium-powered golf carts to replace the current fleet of gas-powered carts at the Schenectady Municipal Golf Course.
Thank you to all our event supporters and participants!
Capital District EV Drivers Group
Capital District Transportation
Committee (Clean Communities)
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Hudson Valley Community College
New York League of Conservation
Voters
Schalmont Central School District
Schenectady County Environmental
Advisory Committee
Social Enterprise and Training Center
(SEAT)
Solar Sal - 100% Electric Solar
powered boat
Event Coverage:
photo by: Livingston Energy Group Members of the Capital District Drive Electric Week & Sustainability Fair Planning Committee, Schenectady Greenmarket, Capital District EV Drivers Club, and Livingston Energy Group Co-Founders Schuyler Poukish and Jason Zarillo (with Mac the dog) pose with Schenectady Mayor, Gary McCarthy and NYS Assemblyman Phil Steck (2017 Bolt Owner) in front of Joe Dean's 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. |
Event Description
EV Ride + Drives With:
Spotlight on Schools:
Vendors
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM – EV Drivers & Vendors arrival & set up
9:30 AM – Liberty Street between Jay Street and Lafayette Street
closes completely to vehicle traffic
9:45 AM –Members of the event planning committee,
Greenmarket, Livingston Energy Group, EV Drivers Club and City of Schenectady
to line up at intersection of Liberty & Clinton Street.
10:00 AM – Event officially opens to public!
- Mayor will be driven down Liberty Street through the ribbon at the intersection of Liberty & Clinton Street (by Library)
- EV
Drivers are encouraged to beep horns while the mayor processes down
the street
- Mayor will Proclaim Drive Electric Day and the event opens!
- CDTA
will start offering Free rides in their Zero Emissions Bus. Pick ups
will be approximately every 15 minutest throughout the event.
2:00 PM – Event ends
- Drivers
and vendors can begin to move out of the event space once roads are
re-opened.
- Please
drive carefully!
They can be
accessed via the Charge
Port EV App. Available on Android or Apple devices.
For more information contact: Kate Kruk 518-691-3724 or kkruk@solution.energy
Registered Attendees
There are currently 694 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 13 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 11 |
| Chevrolet Volt | 10 |
| Other Plug-In Vehicle | 10 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 6 |
| Kia EV6 | 6 |
| Tesla Model S | 6 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 5 |
| Toyota RAV4 Prime 4WD/AWD | 4 |
| Hyundai KONA Electric | 3 |
| Tesla Model Y | 3 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 3 |
| BMW i4 | 2 |
| Chevrolet Bolt EUV | 2 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 2 |
| Volkswagen e-Golf | 2 |
| Audi e-tron | 1 |
| BMW i3 | 1 |
| Chevy Spark EV | 1 |
| Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
| Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
| Ioniq Electric | 1 |
| Jeep Wrangler 4xe | 1 |
| Kia Niro Electric | 1 |
| Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 1 |
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 1 |
| Polestar 2 | 1 |
| Smart fortwo electric drive | 1 |
| Toyota Plug-in Prius | 1 |
| Toyota Prius Prime | 1 |
| 31 Models | 103 |
| Vehicle | Registered |
Registered attendees report 2,708,828 electric miles driven.
In the News…
- Schenectady Hosts Largest National Drive Electric Week Event
- Schenectady Hosts Country’s Largest National Drive Electric Week and Sustainability Fair During Schenectady Greenmarket
- Electric City holds clean energy event
- Electric City makes way for more electric vehicles
- EV Drivers shine spotlight on sustainability ahead of fair
- Electric vehicle fair coming to Schenectady "The Electric City"
