By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
LOWER EAST SIDE — Just call Grand Street "Electric Avenue."
A new electric car and charging stations were officially unveiled at the Seward Park Co-op Friday, marking the first time a New York City residential complex of this size has featured the eco-friendly technology.
The Grand Street co-op, which counts more than 4,00 residents, installed the charging stations in March as a way to power its fleet of four hybrid vehicles offered to tenants through the complex's car-sharing partnership with Hertz.
"We're sort of early adopters to this technology," said Seward Park board member Michael Tumminia, standing next to a gleaming new Nissan LEAF electric car, which arrived fresh from the New York International Auto Show and is not yet available to the public.
He explained that with rising gas prices and the push toward more green technology, the co-op and larger Lower East Side stand poised to lead the charge on electric vehicles.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who lives in another nearby co-op complex, said he recently drove an electric car and marveled at its ability to match a gas-powered vehicle's performance.
"What better place to have this car-sharing opportunity than here on the Lower East Side," he said. "This is a worthy project, and another milestone for our Lower East Side community to celebrate."
Fellow elected officials Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Councilwoman Margaret Chin joined Silver in praising the program, which gives both co-op residents and others from the neighborhood the opportunity to take a spin in the no-emissions ride.
The vehicles — which can be powered up at any of the four Coulomb Technologies-designed stations located in the co-op's driveway and garage on Clinton Street — can last up to 100 miles on a single charge.
And they're already proving popular just weeks into the program, Tumminia explained, adding that the co-op decided to invest in the technology as way to set an example for eco-conscious living.
Stringer noted that the move toward electric cars helps New York vie as a international leader in innovative technologies.
"The Lower East Side is already cool, but now it's a leader in global cooling," he said. "This station here is a symbol of what's possible."
