On September 21, 2019, Empire Clean Cities (ECC) drove the 90 miles between Brooklyn, New York, and New Paltz. New Paltz is in the heart of Ulster County, home to the SUNY New Paltz campus and host to New Yorkers for Clean Power’s Third Annual Climate Solutions Summit. The day-long event was open to students, faculty, and the public to participate in workshops focused on New York’s transition to clean transportation, renewable energy, sustainable housing projects, and environmental justice, among other topics.
Empire Clean Cities participated as a Green Vendor, sharing information about alternative fuels, workplace charging incentives from Charge to Work NY, and electric vehicle purchasing for New York State residents. ECC was fortunate enough to be able to drive the Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid SUV round trip. The Volvo XC90 offers five different driving modes, one of which is “Pure: Eco Drive,” turning on the electric engine. “Pure” mode uses the electric engine as much as possible up to 78MPH. The high voltage battery in the 2020 XC90 is rated at 11.6 kWh. After a full charge at SUNY New Paltz, ECC was able to drive 22 miles of pure electric drive. After a second charge at the White Plains Galleria Mall, ECC finished the trip back to Brooklyn using a “Hyrbid” mode, combining the electric motor and gas engine. The spacious SUV was comfortable, fun and offered many high-tech perks, including a Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and Cross Traffic Alert which were invaluable when navigating tight urban streets and busy highways.
Volvo recently announced their committed to bringing out one million Twin Engine or all-electric cars by 2025 in an effort to improve the manufacturer’s carbon footprint. Between 2019 and 2021, Volvo will launch five pure electric models, and eventually offer all models with an electrified line-up.
Empire Clean Cities thanks Volvo USA for their generosity in lending the Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid electric car for a road trip from Brooklyn to the New Paltz Climate Solutions Summit. ECC looks forward to the launch of Volvo’s full-electric models in the next year.
Want to see what other initiatives Empire Clean Cities is doing to promote cleaner transportation? Check out how they joined Mayor De Blasio and the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services on presenting a plan to lower carbon emissions here!
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