The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Ridgewood NJ, that’s the ticket, if all Americans were compelled to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) according to the schedule outlined in Biden’s EPA mandates, instead of the Earth’s temperature reaching 60 degrees, the average temperature would be marginally lower, at approximately 59.99 degrees.
Continue reading Data Shows Transition to EV’s Will Have Minimal Impact
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Cities across the U.S., including high-profile ones like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, are grappling with significant air pollution due to traffic congestion. This issue, however, isn’t confined to these metropolitan giants; it’s a widespread challenge that impacts numerous cities nationwide. Internationally, some cities have pioneered the innovative approach of instituting car-free days, contributing to a marked improvement in air quality. While city authorities have yet to adopt such measures, there might be an untapped readiness among its citizens to embrace change.
Continue reading Poll: Half of New Jerseyans Support Car Bans
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Trenton NJ, Senator Michael Testa and Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco sent a letter to Governor Murphy demanding a fiscal audit and documents related to interactions with the foreign wind developer Orsted after the company announced they were pulling the plug on New Jersey’s offshore wind project.
Continue reading Orsted Debacle, Time to Reconsider Governor’s Energy Master Plan
photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, as if Ridgewood Hudson street garage does not already have a hole host of problems . Electric cars and gas-powered cars can vary in weight depending on the make and model, but generally speaking, electric cars are often heavier than gas-powered cars. This is because electric cars require heavy batteries to store the energy needed to power the vehicle, whereas gas-powered cars rely on a lighter fuel tank and combustion engine.
Continue reading Electric Vehicles Create New Problems for the Hudson Street Garage in Ridgewood
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Paramus NJ, Tesla revealed steep price cuts on its lineup of cars on Thursday. Its car prices have been lowered by up to 30 percent when the latest EV tax credits are applied as well. The price cuts could signal the beginning of a price war in the EV market. Several manufacturers are launching new EVs this year, but production will be limited. Tesla’s offerings are now well below several competitors.
by Jane M. Orient, M.D.
If you ran out of gas, you used to have to hike to the nearest gas station, buy enough gas to get the car to the station, and carry it in a can back to the car. Now, with the miracle of cell phones, you can telephone your road-side service provider, and someone will bring you some gasoline.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, while New Jersey and the rest of U.S. is debating a gigantic increase in subsidies for wind, solar and electric cars, Europe is slowly but surely discovering the benefits of nuclear power.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, despite soaring gasoline prices, a majority of Americans still don’t think electric cars are practical and aren’t interested in owning one.
Continue reading Most Americans Say “No Thanks” to Electric Cars
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HACKENSACK, N.J. – Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the Bergen County Zoo is now home to three electric vehicle charging stations compliments of a new public-private partnership between the County of Bergen and Volta. The three Level-2 electric vehicle charging stations which feature large video displays come at no expense to Bergen County taxpayers and will provide visitors with free vehicle charging for up to two hours.
Continue reading Volta Public-Private Partnership Brings Free EV Charging tp Bergen County Zoo
(Thomas Edisin)
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the American Lung Association released “The Road to Clean Air” – a new report that outlines the broad benefits of a transition to an electric transportation sector increasingly powered by clean, non-combustion renewable energy over the coming decades. The report finds a transition to electric cars, buses and trucks by mid-century would both improve air quality and address climate change, benefiting the lives and health of Americans and New Jersey residents, and would result in significant local benefits.
March 29,2016
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Ridgewood NJ, Officials from the Valley Hospital and Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) cut the ribbon on a five station electric vehicle (EV) charging system and announced the completion of more than $2.5 million in energy efficiency upgrades at the Ridgewood, NJ hospital.
The Valley Hospital EV charging system is part of a PSE&G pilot program designed to help spur the adoption of electric vehicles in the utility’s electric service territory and the energy efficiency measures were funded in part by the PSE&G Hospital Efficiency Program, which helps pay for the installation of energy efficiency measures at hospitals in the utility’s service territory.
“The Valley Hospital is committed to the environment and the installation of these electric charging stations are just one of the ways that Valley can bring sustainable initiatives directly to our employees and physicians, promoting the reduction in the carbon footprint of our operations on the well-being of the planet,” said Maria Mediago, Vice President of Facilities Management at Valley.
As part of the PSE&G EV charging station pilot program, The Valley Hospital committed to immediately utilizing the five charging stations for staff members who own and drive electric vehicles to the hospital. In return, PSE&G provided the EV charging equipment free-of-charge and the hospital paid for the installation of the units and will pay for ongoing maintenance and electricity costs.
“There are a lot of reasons to like EVs in New Jersey but the lack of charging stations is clearly an impediment to their continued growth,” said Courtney McCormick, vice president – renewables and energy solution, PSE&G. “By partnering with organizations like The Valley Hospital to offer workplace charging, we are hoping to increase the convenience of current EV owners, demonstrate to potential owners that EVs are a viable option and also gather information that we can use down the line as EVs become more popular.”
In addition to providing a convenient charging option for EV drivers, the PSE&G pilot program also allows the utility to collect real-world data about how the chargers are used. This will allow PSE&G to better understand the impact that large-scale EV charging could have on the electric grid, identify areas of potential high-EV charger density and plan for infrastructure upgrades and modifications that may be needed.
The PSE&G EV charging pilot program currently has 50 EV charging stations in service at nine customer locations around the state, including The Valley Hospital. There are 20 additional charging stations under construction at four other customer sites. The utility is also in talks with several other customers with the goal of installing a total of 125 individual charging stations at 25 customer locations by the end of 2016.
In addition to the EV charging system, the $2.5 million in energy efficiency upgrades through the PSE&G Hospital Efficiency Program helped pay for a new air conditioning chiller plant and new variable frequency drives on garage exhaust fans at the hospital. These energy efficiency improvements are expected to save more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is enough to power about 250 average-size New Jersey homes for a year.
PSE&G’s Hospital Efficiency Program helps fund the installation of energy efficiency measures at hospitals in the utility’s service territory. Through the program, PSE&G provides an investment grade energy audit at no cost to hospitals, recommends energy efficiency improvements and provides up-front funding for the total cost of the energy efficiency measures. Hospitals typically repay between 35-40 percent of the project costs on their PSE&G bill over a period of 36 months at zero percent interest.
“Hospitals are vital resources in New Jersey,” added McCormick. “Our program allows them to make energy efficiency improvements and save money on energy costs, which frees up resources that they can better use for their core healthcare mission.”
The Valley Hospital will save more than $200,000 a year in energy costs and repay about 40 percent of the project total interest-free over the next three years.
“In 2011, Valley was the first hospital in New Jersey to sign on to the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a coalition of U.S. health systems committed to, among other things, reducing the use of natural resources and promoting sustainability principles throughout the organization. In addition, Valley is a member of Practice GreenHealth,” Mediago said. “Partnering with PSE&G on this initiative is a cooperative community benefit to reduce the effects of carbon emissions in our community, and these stations serve as a constant reminder that there is a role for everyone in sustainability.”
PSE&G Announces Incentive Program for Companies To Provide Charging for Employees Who Drive Electric Cars
July 22, 2014
The program will provide “smart” charging equipment for approximately 150 cars. Charging stations will be given out on a first come, first serve basis to companies that secure a commitment from a minimum of five employees that they will use an electric car for their commute.
“Our company believes there is a strong future in electric cars here in New Jersey, and workplace charging is a critical part of that future,” said Ralph LaRossa, president and COO of PSE&G. “We want to be a partner with New Jersey businesses and New Jersey electric car drivers. Electric cars not only benefit the environment, but are cheaper to own and operate than conventional cars.”
PSE&G will provide the charging systems for free. Participating workplaces will need to install the units and pay for the electricity. PSE&G will own the charging systems and collect usage data to better understand the impact of workplace charging on electric demand and the electric delivery system. The Hydra data collection system will be provided by Liberty Access Technologies.
“Electric vehicle charging is usually a matter of hours, not minutes, so charging your EV while you are at work is an ideal solution,” said Chris Outwater, President of Liberty Access Technologies. “At work charging will make EV ownership possible for many more people. It is especially important for apartment dwellers who cannot easily charge while at home.”
The incentive is available only to companies located in PSE&G’s electric service territory. Companies interested in more information on the program can contact PSE&G at: EVworkplacecharging@pseg.com
PSEG also released data on the first year of operations of its own employee electric car incentive program launched one year ago, including:
The 13 employees in the program are estimated to have driven 120,000 miles on electric commuting to and from work in the first twelve months of the program.
The participants are estimated to have saved 5,300 gallons of gas and avoided spending nearly $19,000 on gas just on their commute.
By commuting on electric, it is estimated that the program helped avoid 50 to 60 tons of CO2 being released into the air as well as reduced particulate, SOx and NOx emissions in communities through the state.
Infographic: one year data on PSEG workplace charging
Employees in the PSEG workforce program bought/leased a range of cars including the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Honda Fit, Ford C-MAX Energia, Toyota Prius plug-in and Tesla.
Electric cars in New Jersey are particularly helpful for the overall air quality because of New Jersey’s clean mix of fuel used to produce electricity. More than half of electricity produced in New Jersey comes from nuclear energy which produces no air pollutants or climate change gases.
Tesla recharged: Assembly panel to take up bill to allow sales in NJ stores
TRENTON — A bill to allow Tesla to once again sell its electric cars from New Jersey stores is scheduled for a hearing today.
The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee this morning plans to vote on the measure (A3216) that would allow manufacturers of zero-emission vehicles – like Tesla – to sell them at up to four stores in New Jersey.
Under the bill, Tesla – or any other company that goes into the business – would have to open up at least one service center in the state as well.
Tesla has two locations in New Jersey, in Paramus and Short Hills, but it was forced to stop selling cars directly from them in April when the Motor Vehicles Commission — made up of cabinet officials of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration and appointees — passed a rule requiring car companies sell cars through dealers, which is contrary to Tesla’s sales model.
Tesla appealed the rule change.
Christie defended the decision, saying the commission was merely following state law by requiring Tesla to go through dealers, and that it’s up to the Legislature to change it.
Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, said he plans to have a statement on the bill tomorrow but that his group has yet to take a stance on it.
New Jersey customers who want to buy a car from Tesla can still purchase it online on in other states’ showrooms. (Friedman/Star-Ledger)
