Central Hudson to host electric vehicle test-drive event at Ulster County Fairgrounds – Daily Freeman

Tesla vehicles charge sit at a charging station, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. will host a test-drive electric vehicle event on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ulster County Fairgrounds, 249 Libertyville Road, New Paltz.

The utility said that the event will also give people an opportunity to learn more about electric vehicles from experts.

“Transportation is a significant source of carbon emissions throughout the world and adoption of EVs can help us drastically reduce our carbon footprint,” said outgoing Central Hudson Chief Executive Officer Christopher Capone in a press release. “Our Ride and Drive event is an excellent opportunity for our neighbors to test drive some of the most popular EV models available today and speak with experts to gain valuable insights.”

Up to 150 attendees can make an appointment at https://evoptions.net/chge to test drive an electric vehicle from a range of different makes and models, including Tesla’s new Cybertruck.

Each registered attendee may drive two vehicles. Test drives are approximately 10 minutes. Guests can ride along in the back seat and all drivers will be accompanied by an EV expert.

In addition, Central Hudson representatives will also attend an EV ride and drive event hosted by the town of Red Hook on Saturday, April 13, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Town Hall. Central Hudson will have electric vehicles from its fleet on hand, including the Ford Mach-E and a Tesla Model 3. Many makes and models will be available for attendees to test drive. Red Hook Town Hall is located at 7340 South Broadway.

Central Hudson will spend at least 10% of its annual vehicle capital budget on fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles through 2025 and up to 50% by 2030, the company said. The utility said it plans to reach 10% fleet electrification by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

For more information on EV purchase incentives, residential and commercial charging incentives, free fleet assessments and more, visit www.cenhud.com/en/my-energy/electric-vehicles/.