[NY] Albany/Capital District EV Drivers Group

[blownb310]

I would like to extend an invitation to all Tesla drivers in the Albany, NY Capital District area.

I am seeking local EV drivers for social and driving EV events and gatherings. I have started a new FaceBook group called the Albany Capital District EV Drivers.

Mission statement: To assemble a local group of EV enthusiasts to socialize, organize group outings at local car shows, and possibly put on some EV economy competitions or driving tours as well.

If you know of any EV drivers in a 60 or so mile radius of the capital region, please let me [or them] know about the group I have put together.

Tesla, Mitsubishi i-Miev, Nissan Leaf, Smart ED, Ford Focus EV, Honda Fit EV, BMW Active E, Chevy Volt, it's all good!

Thanks, Mike

 

[Aplusgems]

Hi Mike,

My wife and I would like to join the Albany Capital District EV club. I recently purchased my Tesla and love it.

Please contact me.

Looking forward to meeting you,
Al Smith

 

[blownb310]

Welcome!

Hi Mike,

My wife and I would like to join the Albany Capital District EV club. I recently purchased my Tesla and love it.

Please contact me.

Looking forward to meeting you,
Al Smith

That's great news Al! Welcome aboard and glad to have you. I'm away in Myrtle Beach this week and I met up with Richard Williams of "Lowcountry Plug in Drivers in Charleston. I got to drive his Model S and loved it!



I asked a family nearby to take this picture for us and explained to them the significance of this special car and that Richard and I represent EV driver group leaders from the north and south.

 

[blownb310]

I guess I should have introduced myself in the original post.



My name is Mike Kamm and I'm currently driving a new Honda Fit EV. It was the first one in the Capital District and was delivered on June 3rd, from Keeler Honda.

I work at Max BMW Motorcycles in Troy.



Recently I had to pleasure to meet Harry Bilodeau and his wife who stopped in to look at bikes with their Tesla Model S. Starting to see a few Model S's here around here now.

 

[blownb310]

The Albany Capital District EV Driver's Group will be having their first meet up on National Plug-in Day, Sunday September 29th, at Guptill's Arena. I volunteered to be our region's 'City Captain' and started planning the event this morning. So far I've got the Latham Smart Center on board to bring a Smart ED, Destination Nissan brining two Nissan Leafs, and Keeler Honda a new Accord plug-in for test drives. In anticipation of guests who will surely be asking me if there's anywhere to charge, I have contacted Nemith Nissan [1.1 miles south] and have been granted permission for us to use both of their level 2 chargers for the day. They will bring a Leaf out for test drives as well. The Century House [.8 miles away] also has a Chargepoint station in their lot. Guptill's has many 110v outlets that we can use for trickle charging as well.

The Guptill's facility has a huge fully paved lot that hosts car shows of over 500 vehicles, so space is not a problem. They also have a locally famous outdoor ice cream stand [Guptill's Coney Express] on the premises with ice cream available [as well as hot dogs.] There is fun for the whole family, as their giant indoor roller skating arena is the largest in the US.

Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Link to event page: http://pluginday.org/event.php?eventid=8

 

[blownb310]

Below are a few of the Albany Capital District EV Driver's Group cars that are coming to this event to date. Well, at least the ones I have picture of so far.

There will be at least 5 Leafs, 2 Volts, and an Accord plug-in as well.

Mr. Smith, do you have any pics of your Model S please?

Thanks, Mike

 

[blownb310]

Here are some pics of the lawn signs and the 8' banner that I laid out and ordered this morning.

8' group banner

 

[blownb310]

I'd like to welcome our newest member, Tom S., who just took delivery of his new Model S.

 

[blownb310]

Here's an update on the upcoming Capital District EV Driver's Group event at Guptill's on the 29th.

The event link is here: National Plug-in Day EV car event



Electric Vehicles registered so far:

4 Nissan LEAF
3 Honda Fit EV
3 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
2 Tesla Model S
2 Chevrolet Volt
1 Mitsubishi i
1 Ford Fusion Energi
1 Honda Accord Plug-In
1 Ford Focus Electric
1 Harley Davidson EV conversion motorcycle

New things are coming together every day now. Now we're going to have electric RC cars races as well. We have mini orange pylons to set up a course. We'll have EV music playing, ice cream, EV test drives, and EV parade, and group photo shoot. I have solar equipment venders coming, and charging station vender displays as well.
Heck, it's not out of the question that we'll have some "Electric Slide" line dancing going on too.

 

[blownb310]

On June 3rd I picked up my Fit EV from Keeler Honda. On that day I did not know even a single person in the Capital District that owned an EV.

On June 24th I founded the Capital District EV Drivers Group on Facebook. There are now 31 members and it is growing every week.

Our first meet is this Sunday for National Plug in Day at Guptill's Arena in Cohoes. There are now 27 EV's signed up, an electric Harley Davidson, two scooters, and even a Segway! This isn't counting the people who don't bother to register and just show up. There are 57 guests registered and more are coming in every day this week before the event.

We are now holding RC model car and truck race demonstrations as well. If you have an electric radio controlled vehicle, bring it!

This is a free event. Registration for both vehicles and guests is here: http://pluginday.org/event.php?eventid=8

 

[Anthonyelectric]

I may be the FIRST EVer in the Cap Region (or one of the first.

I am no longer on Facebook, but I want to be part of the group.

Here are my news stories over the years:
http://mohawkvalley.ynn.com/content/your_news/540154/beating-the-pain-at-the-pump/

http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/news/502588/local-man-ditches-the-gas-station-to-go-green/

http://www.dailygazette.com/photos/2010/apr/22/15699/

AMERICAN fuel, AMERICAN resources.

I am a recovering V-8 junkie who is now addicted to the EV torque, current project is a '84 Fiero conversion.

Anthony
([email protected])

 

[blownb310]

The Capital District EV Driver's Group's first ever EV event went great and we had 31 EV's in attendance! The above picture even made it to the top of the Sierra Club's blog entry for the National Plug-in Day weekend recap.



Al and Annabelle Smith's stunning new Tesla Model S was the crown jewel of the event, and Jodi Smits Anderson even brought out her Segway!






One of the seven Nissan Leafs in attendance.


Glenn Marcucio had the most impressive display by bringing both of his EV's plus a borrowed i-Miev dealership sign from Goldstien Mitsubishi. He actually hauled the 6.5' tall sign in the back of his Chevy Volt! His wife followed him to the event in their custom striped Mitsubishi i-Miev.



Tony Milillo's Mitsubishi i-Miev.



A few other pics from the event:




Above is Dr. Otward Mueller. His Smart ED was the very first one delivered in our area. He explained to me that his EV has an absolute zero carbon footprint, as he powers it completely off of the grid. He designed his own solar charger for the car. He works for MTECH Laboratories in Ballston Spa. This man is a genius and it was a pleasure to meet him.


John Razzano's poses next to his Ford C-Max Energi during the group photo.


Ann Zownir brought this Smart ED demo out for test drives from Keeler's Smart Center of Latham.

Larry Eckhaus' Smart ED [Electric Drive] model. It's unusual, but that's how the hood opens!

We had 31 EV's in attendance. Here we are lining them up for the parade on Route 9.

 

[blownb310]

Yesterday I held the first drive event for my Capital District EV Driver's group, up to the summit of Mt. Greylock. This is the highest point in Massachusetts.



We had five EV's participate. Two Fit EV's, two Leafs, and one Smart ED. Our first order of business was to drive over to Bob's Country Kitchen in Lanesboro, MA for lunch.





The weather was perfect and we got some great pictures.











After enjoying the camaraderie at the summit and swapping stories, we all went our separate ways, but made a plan to reset our trip meters and try to record our rates of regeneration on the 8 mile decent to the lower visitor's center. Here's the raw data that I can offer from my Fit EV:
I left the peak with 29 miles remaining on my distance to empty readout. After the drive down to the lower visitor's center my display rose up to 54 miles remaining. The trip computer said I had traveled 8 miles, recaptured 7.9 miles worth of current, with just .1 mile of actual usage. From the Visitor center down and back home it read: 26 miles traveled, 7.8 miles recaptured, for a total of 18.4 miles of actual electrical usage. In my garage it showed 40 miles of range remaining with a 36% charge left. Travis' Fit EV had 25% charge remaining when he got home to Nassau. [He carried additional passengers up the mountain and lives a bit further away than I do.] This performance was a pleasant surprise for both of us, because we didn't know for sure that we could make the trip.


And I thought I might not be able to make the 75 mile round trip with the long, steep climbs and high elevations.
It turns out it was actually pretty easy.

Al, we're sorry you were out of town and couldn't join us yesterday. With your Model S, there would have had no worries at all! :biggrin:

 

[blownb310]

We are very pleased to announce our 2014 National Drive Electric Week event.


What: Our second annual all electric vehicle event.


When: Sunday, September 21, 2014


Where: Guptill's Arena/Coney Express 1085 Route 9 Cohoes, NY, [on the Cohoes/Latham border].


We look forward to surpassing last year's record of 31 EV's.


This facility has a huge fully paved lot that hosts car shows of over 500 vehicles, so space is not a problem. They also have a locally famous outdoor ice cream stand [Guptill's Coney Express] on the premises with ice cream available [as well as hot dogs.] There is fun for the whole family, as their giant indoor roller skating arena is the largest in the US.


Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.


Please register your Teslas at: https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=132


Don't worry that your plans might change at the last minute. The important thing is to get your name on our list and support EV's in our area.


Thank you,
Michael Kamm
Albany Capital District EV Driver's Group

 

[blownb310]

Electric Auto Awareness Day 2014 - Saratoga Auto Museum

The Albany Capital District EV Drivers will be holding an Electric Vehicle Lawn Show at the Saratoga Auto Museum. This is a great opportunity for the public to learn about and even experience electric automobiles in a beautiful park like setting. Their members are enthusiastic about their electric cars and are eager to inform the public of their advantages as daily transportation. Many will offer rides to interested spectators. This event is also open to other types of all-electric vehicles as well, including motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, low speed neighborhood vehicles, even Segways. There will even be an EV parade through Saratoga Spa Park.

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2014 [rain date Sunday, August 24th.]

Hours: 10 am to 3 pm.

Location: 110 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Contact: Michael Kamm
Send a Private message through this forum or call me at (518) 674-0520.

 

[blownb310]

The Saratoga event was terrific. Here are some pics we took.

 

[blownb310]

Last call to come out and join us for our second annual National Drive Electric Week event at Guptill's Arena in Latham [technically Cohoes].


https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=132

We will start the event by meeting 2 miles away at Falls View Park in Cohoes [231-341 N Mohawk St, Cohoes, NY 12047 for your GPS] for our EV parade. This will be at 10:30 am. At 10:50 am we will start the 2 mile parade on 9R [Manor Ave.] and make a grand entrance to our show at Guptill's at 11:00 am.


Confirmed new EV's available for test drives:


Mangino Mitsubishi - i-Miev EV
Fuccillo Nissan - LEAF EV
Keeler Mercedes - B-Class Electric Drive
Keeler BMW - i3
Smart Center of Latham - Smart ED convertible
Zero Motorcycles - three electric bikes, the S, DS, and FX models.


That's right, bring your helmet and license and ride a Zero EV motorcycle!

Please join us!

Day: Sunday, September 21, 2014

Time: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Location: Guptill's Arena/Coney Express
1085 Route 9
Cohoes, NY 12047

 

[DriveElectric]

Haven't hade enough EV!?

Join Empire Clean Cities for the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] Annual National Drive Electric Event!

Tuesday, September 23[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2014

Lyons Place Garage
1 Lyons Place White Plains, NY

11:00-1:00PM

Empire Clean Cities and the City of White Plains is hosting a National Drive Electric Event. Numerous EVs, including the new BMWi will be displayed at the new Lyons Place Garage. Bring your EV to showcase and meet up with other EV drivers.

In addition to showing your own vehicles with other EV owners, see Mayor Roach cut the ribbon for the opening of the new Lyons Place parking garage. The Garage will house 2 EV charging stations for the community.

Please register with our event at the below link!

https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=297&view=public

 

[blownb310]

The event was terrific and here are some pictures taken at the outing, which boasted about 50 EV's during the course of the day. WNYT News Channel 13 was there filming and aired the segment that evening at 6:00 pm, 10:00 pm, and again at 11:00 pm!

 

[DriveElectric]

Empire Clean Cities Events

Odyssey Day Vehicle Showcase

When: October 16th, 2014​

Where: Union Square, New York, NY​

Time: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM​

Register Here for Free​

For More Information Click Here
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What is Odyssey Day?

Odyssey Day is an outreach and education event dedicated to promoting cleaner choices in transportation. Our mission is to educate the public on public and private business leaders who are committed to greening their own local communities by spreading the word on alternative fuel vehicles and technologies.

VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT DISPLAY

THURSDAY OCTOBER 16TH, 2014

9:00am-3:00pmUnion Square, north end (E 17th St. & Broadway)

Register here for Free

UNION SQUARE PARK

At the vibrant heart of New York City, Union Square Park is the dynamic center of food, fashion, culture and cutting-edge businesses. With nearly 70,000 residents, over 142,000 employees and more than 40,000 students.

• 350,000 people in Union Square on a weekday
• 12,000 businesses are located within a half-mile radius of Union Square Park and employ more than 142,000 people
• Union Square is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, priding itself in its balance of residential, office, retail, and leisure components.

The Showcase

Take advantage of this opppotunity to interact with the vehicles from some of the regions most sustainable fleets at Union Square.

At the event Empire Clean Cities will also be announcing our newest Empire Green Fleets.

GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT

Bring an ambassador from your company to discuss with the local community about your corporation’s ongoing efforts on being green. Pass out flyers or materials to showcase your accomplishments. With over 350,000 people coming through Union Square there is a enormous opportunity to engage with the public and future consumers.

Please contact Alexandra Slavin at [email protected] for partnership opportunities! Space is limited!

Please subscribe to our email list to receive updated information!

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