Astoria Park gets nine electric vehicles

Nine new electric cars will be zipping around Astoria parks, thanks to a grant from Clean Air Communities and the New York Power Authority (NYPA).
On Wednesday, April 9, the Parks Department unveiled the new - GEM (Global Electric Motorcars) - vehicles during a ceremony in the northwest Queens neighborhood’s largest outdoor, recreational space, Astoria Park.
“The Parks Department is proud to be a leader in experimenting with alternative fuel technology. After all, we are ‘New York’s Greenest,’ said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe in a statement.
Officials estimated that the nine electric cars, which are replacing seven diesel or gasoline vehicles, would reduce emissions by 15 tons per year.
Keith Kerman, the Chief of Operations for Parks, praised several characteristics of the new cars - their size, proximity to the ground, and quiet engine.
In addition, the GEM cars release no tailpipe emissions.
“There is no exhaust, no fumes. It maintains the natural settings of the park,” Kerman said.
The nine GEMS, two of which have six seats and seven of which are utility vehicles, will be designated mainly for Astoria Park and nearby neighborhood facilities. However, other electric vehicles - 275 in total - are used by Parks citywide.
Of the Parks Department’s 2,500 total vehicles, more than 1,300 use some form of alternative fuel, including bio-diesel, hybrid electricity, or compressed natural gas. All 800 of Parks’ diesel trucks, including equipment like tractors, uses bio-diesel, Kerman said, explaining that 20 percent of the power is generated from virgin soybean plants, produced domestically.
Moreover, Parks has recently swapped 125 of its SUVs for sedans and now only purchases hybrid-electric SUVs for off-road driving.
The agency even has two solar-powered vehicles, one stationed in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the other in Riverside Park in Manhattan.
However, Kerman said that Parks relies on about 300 pickup trucks and small vans, which use regular gasoline.
In Astoria Park, officials were able to replace pickups and vans with the GEM cars because they seat six people, rather than the more common two- and four-seaters.
“It’s the most environmentally-friendly, quietist and safest way to get our parks clean and to move a whole crew around the park,” Kerman said.
The funding for the GEMs - about $90,000 - was part of NYPA’s $2 million Queens Clean Air Project, begun in 2005. The initiative, set up with the help of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, included adding solar-powered trash compactors, pollution controls on sanitation trucks, the installation of a green roof on Silvercup Studios and electric ground support at LaGuardia Airport.
Kerman added that some of Parks’ alternative-fuel and low-emissions vehicle technology would be on display in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Thursday, May 29 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. as part of the Parks’ 20th annual Vehicle and Equipment Show.