A new electric bike charging station is now open in Amsterdam.
The new bike stand charges the five CDPHP Cycle! e-bikes it holds wirelessly. It was celebrated at a ceremony at the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook in Amsterdam Monday. State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Democrat whose 111th District includes the city, says the collaboration between regional transportation and energy research organizations, including CDTA, NYSERDA, and Re:Charge, is key to promoting sustainable future-ready transportation.
“Anytime you can not use a car and use alternative transportation, that's a big win for everybody. I think it leads to healthier lifestyles. It leads to more sustainable, more vibrant communities. And I think it's something that we should all be celebrating. This is going to set an example that other communities and other cities will adopt very quickly,” Santabarbara said.
Mayor Mike Cinquanti says the efforts are a continuation of Amsterdam’s role at the crossroads of transportation.
“This new charging station is a symbolic link between yesterday and tomorrow for our city's connection to the Empire State Trail, the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River. It's made in New York companies like Re:Charge that represent the future of our upstate economy and continue to make New York the Empire State, and we're proud to be leaders for today's first-in-the-nation launch of this recharge solution,” Cinquanti said.
CDTA CEO Carm Basile says the setup goes hand in hand with his organization’s efforts to promote alternatives to cars, and adds the bike program has seen great success.
“When we first started this program eight years ago, we had a couple hundred bikes. We now have 600. 400 of the 600 are e-bikes. Very soon, very, very soon, they'll all be e-bikes,” Basile said.
Basile, who plans to retire at the end of the year, says the pilot program makes using e-bikes much simpler, with CDTA’s operations team currently needing to physically change each dead e-bike battery.
Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, a Democrat who currently represents the 109th District, is running to succeed state senator Neil Breslin, a fellow Democrat whose 46th District includes Amsterdam. She says her legislation requiring all new construction be electric vehicle ready will help promote alternative transportation.
“It just means you have to have the plates in in the ground such that you can hook up charging equipment. So if it's trucks with commercial entities or cars, or in this case, even bikes, it will be EV ready. And that, well, it's a very small investment at the front end, it's going to help us in the long run,” Fahy said.
Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko of the 20th District, an engineer who sits on Energy and Commerce Committee, is an Amsterdam native. He says the new stand and bikes show the state is moving in the right direction.
“We know Mother Nature is speaking to us more boldly than ever, and we know that we are behind the curve to get this thing, the efforts done for electrification and clean energy,” Tonko said.
NYSERDA is also providing $32 million for its Clean Mobility Program to promote community-based electric micromobility systems. First round proposals are due in August.
