One of the major keys to the development of a strong electric vehicle (EV) market in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area is the creation of a robust public charging infrastructure. That was the consensus of a number of local EV experts at Bergen Volunteers' Friday Forum program, Supercharged, at the Hasbrouck Heights Hilton on March 25.
In addition to Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III and Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) President and CEO Robert Sanchez, representatives from O&R, PSE&G, Jack Daniels Audi, RT. 4 Paramus Hyundai, Park Ave. BMW, Gabel Associate and Bergen County Community College were exhibiting the newest in EV technology.
O&R's subsidiary Rockland Electric Company serves 73,000 new Jersey electric customers in parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties.
Sanchez said, "O&R is firmly committed to leading and delivering the transition to the clean energy future our customers deserve and expect. We support electric vehicles for their resulting benefits of cleaner air and a healthier environment."
Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III checks out the view behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang Mach-E at the Bergen Volunteers' Friday Forum program, Supercharged. He is discussing the electric vehicle's finer points with Orange & Rockland's President and CEO Robert Sanchez. The Mach-E is Orange & Rockland's electric car demonstration vehicle.
The company is aggressively transitioning company vehicles away from fossil fuels. For example, starting last year, 100% of new light-duty vehicle purchases are EV. The company will have a 100% electric light-duty fleet by 2035.
O&R plans to continue to enable additional clean energy efforts. For example, plans are underway to start incentivizing EV charging infrastructure, which is reliable, affordable, and available to all customers with emphasis on solutions in communities disproportionally impacted by either economics or pollution.
About O&R
Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, is a regulated utility. O&R provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it's Rockland Electric Company) and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.
