Did You Know We Have an Electric Vehicle Charging Station?

10/25/2017

We’ve added something new to the Welcome Center! The picture below shows Frost Valley’s new electric vehicle charging station.

The station is categorized as “Level 2”, which means it adds 22-25 miles of range per hour to any electric vehicle’s battery. This charging speed is somewhere between the “DC Fast Charge” models at some public stations and what could be accomplished with a standard household outlet.

Frost Valley’s station is available to all guests and staff, free of charge, and can accommodate up to two vehicles at once. On Tuesday, Oct 17, we had our very first guest use the station! A parent chaperone was able to fully recharge a Tesla (6 hours of charging) at the back of the Welcome Center.

We encourage anyone considering an electric vehicle purchase to take a look at the station up close. Electric vehicle owners may choose to install something similar in their homes.

With the addition of this charging station, Frost Valley aims to promote the use of electric vehicles. One round trip of 260 miles between New York City and Frost Valley in an average gas-powered car generates enough carbon dioxide to fill ten balloons, each seven feet in diameter. Imagine if these were bright red and accumulated on the back of your vehicle as you traveled down the freeway!

The direct impact of electric vehicles is in the form of reduced carbon dioxide emissions, or, if you like the analogy, in fewer giant red balloons. As charging infrastructure grows and electric vehicles feature extended ranges, Frost Valley expects to see more guests and staff arrive using this mode of transport. We are ready to help make this an easy choice!

If you’d like to see a map of public charging stations in the area, check out this link: https://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_locations.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katharine Chute

Katharine Chute is the Sustainability Coordinator at Frost Valley YMCA. She works on projects ranging from renewable energy and recycling to habitat enhancement and local food production. She is originally from Minnesota, where she first developed her love of the outdoors on canoe camping trips near the Canadian border. Here in New York, she enjoys exploring the Catskill Mountains by foot and bike and sharing her love of the natural world with others!