The Power Authority continues to help make New York State a pacesetter in the development and use of electric-drive transportation.

NYPA's Clean Transportation Group has helped place more than 850 electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in service around the state since the program’s inception, and they have logged more than 6.5 million miles. About 500 vehicles were in operation in 2006. As the numbers have increased, so have their innovative uses, including mail delivery, material handling, parking enforcement and student transportation, and the development of new transportation technologies.

The overriding goals of NYPA’s Clean Transportation programs are cleaner air and less dependence on foreign oil. The programs have contributed to an overall emissions avoidance of 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 658 tons of other harmful pollutants (particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide) and eliminated the need for 21,000 barrels of oil.

The latest in clean transportation technology, a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV), made its debut in 2006 thanks to an alliance between NYPA, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and DaimlerChrysler. The Power Authority helped launch a one-month state tour of the new Sprinter Van, which can operate in all-electric or hybrid-electric mode. The Sprinter Van has an all-electric range of up to 20 miles with zero emissions, which makes it ideal for urban applications. In 2007, NYPA plans to place a Sprinter Van in service with The New York Times for a three-year demonstration project.

Also in 2006, the Power Authority launched a program to electrify ground support vehicles at the Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport in Queens. The retirement of 15 diesel-operated support vehicles servicing Delta Air Lines planes, in favor of fast-charging electric vehicles, is expected to eliminate 19 tons of emissions per year. The program may expand to other area airports.

Green Zones are targeted for parks, college campuses and other limited-access green areas. The program replaces traditional gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles with cleaner, more-efficient electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, to reduce high levels of air pollution released by utility trucks. Several new customers around the state signed on in 2006, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Queens Botanical Garden, Governor's Island, Prospect Park, Saratoga Spa State Park and Rockland Lake State Park.

One of the early successes in 2006 was the placement of four hybrid-electric buses into service on Roosevelt Island just off Manhattan in the East River. The bright red buses transport riders into Queens and Manhattan and went into extra service when the Roosevelt Island Tram was out of operation later in the year.

In 2007, NYPA plans to purchase two hybrid-electric school buses, working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the New York Association for Pupil Transportation to operate the buses in communities around the state. The program is expected to achieve significant fuel savings and emissions reductions.

How NYPA benefits
Metro New York

• Protects hundreds of thousands of jobs through economical electricity supplied for companies and non-profit institutions.
• Provides low-cost power to more than 100 government entities in Westchester County.
• Energy-efficiency projects at about 600 public facilities in Westchester County and on Long Island save $20 million a year in energy costs.

Top Right : At the Marine Air Terminal, a landmark building at La Guardia Airport in Queens, electric ground-support vehicles have replaced diesel-fueled ones. Above: An innovative battery energy storage system helps to supply natural gas as fuel for buses at the Long Island Bus terminal in Garden City. Right: Four hybrid-electric buses were placed into service on Roosevelt Island, in the East River.