by Doug La Rocque
Stewart’s Shops President and CEO Gary Dake was joined by the outgoing President of the New York Power Authority, (NYPA) Gil Quiniones, on Friday morning, October 29 to cut the ribbon on the new fast charging Electric Vehicle (EV) station at the Stewarts on Columbia Turnpike near the intersection with I-90 in Schodack. This the first of five such fast charging stations Stewart’s is building around the Capital Region and Adirondacks. Mr. Dake said that by partnering with the NYPA, Stewart’s is proudly offering their customers more options to “fill up their tanks.” He also said that as an energy provider, “Stewart’s looks forward to developing more environmentally sensitive, economical and and responsible transportation options.”
Mr. Quiniones stated that 30% of all greenhouse gas currently produced are attributable to the transportation industry, and noted EV’s produce zero emissions. These charging stations are part of the state’s plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.
The NYPA program is known as Evolve NY and currently operates nearly 200 such charging stations across the state. Speaking with The Eastwick Press, several EV owners touted the fact these vehicles can fast charge in 20 to 30 minutes, generally at a cost of no more than $8 per charge. Most of the vehicles can travel up to 300 miles on a fully charged battery. Charging a vehicle at home they said averages about $16 more a month on their electric bill, but saves hundreds in gasoline costs. They also indicated since these are no emission vehicles, such routine maintenance such as oil changes, tune ups and the like, are no longer necessary.
There Are Some Down Sides
According to Kelley Blue Book, maintenance costs for EV’s are negligible for the first year of ownership of a new vehicle, primarily because there are less moving parts than a typical internal combustion engine. After that, maintenance cost could start to eat up some of the fuel savings. Diagnosing and servicing problems with gas vehicles is generally quicker and easier than with EVs. Thusly, the labor costs tend to go up, and auto service technicians need special training to repair on EV, something that costs a bit more than for gasoline or diesel service.
The EV owners The Eastwick Press talked to all sang the praises of their EV, though not all are problem free.
There have been some reported electrical issues with just about every make and model, but none to the degree experienced by the Chevrolet Volt, which had at least 13 battery related fires. Chevrolet halted production of the Volt, but has now resumed making batteries and hopes to once again produce vehicles before year’s end.