Village Clerk Mary Saari sits in the new electric vehicle outside the Village Offices

The Village of Cold Spring is normally described with words like "bucolic," "quaint" and "historic." But "cutting edge?" It is now. With a little help from New York State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Ford Motor Company, the Village now has Putnam County’s first purely electric car.

The car, which looks like some sort of futuristic, all-weather golf cart, was given to the Village by the New York Power Authority as part of their "THINK Neighbor Donation Program." The program’s goal is to encourage the use of electric vehicles in order to "reduce air pollution and reliance on imported oil in New York State," according to a NYPA press release.

"The Power Authority had been doing the program for commuters in the area, and I found out that they were also offering this to local communities," Assemblywoman Galef told the PCN&R. "I’ve been doing a lot of work on energy issues in the State, and I’m such a supporter of trying out new modes of transportation.

"If the community uses it, people will see that and it will help to raise awareness," she added. "The ultimate goal is to reduce our dependency on oil."

Galef first approached the Town of Philipstown with the idea and she worked with NYPA to get the process started. The Town Board discussed the matter and decided that the Village of Cold Spring would use the car more than the Town would, and they asked the Village Board of Trustees if they would be interested. They were, and the Village wrote a letter to NYPA in late August requesting one of the vehicles.

As a result, the Village is now sporting a clean, green alternative mode of transportation that is being used for a variety of tasks. Village Clerk Mary Saari told the PCN&R that they are using the car for trips to the bank, the post office, delivering bills and other local errands. "We may find additional uses as things progress," she added.

With a top speed of 30-35 mph and a maximum driving range of 30 miles before the battery needs recharging, local use is essentially what the THINK car is made for. Ford makes both 2-passenger and 4-passenger models of the car, which operates like a regular vehicle and can be recharged in an ordinary 110 volt outlet. The Village is utilizing the 2-passenger model.

The partnership between Ford and NYPA is part of an aggressive campaign by Governor George Pataki to promote electric transportation and more rigorous vehicle emission standards in the State. NYPA has donated cars to several other towns in Westchester County, but Cold Spring is the first municipality in Putnam County to use the car.

"It’s just a wonderful car to have around the community," enthused Assemblywoman Galef. "Hopefully, this will continue to spread awareness of alternative modes of transportation that are available."

Galef also mentioned hybrid cars that combine both fuel and electricity as an attractive option for consumers, since these can travel further without having to be recharged.

More information on the electric car and the THINK program is available at the NYPA’s website, www.nypa.gov.