Running on Empty

Trading in the Gas-Guzzler for a Gas-Sipper

by Crispin Kott, March 31, 2011

The Hudson Valley is one of the nation’s most progressive regions when it comes to eco-friendliness. Long before going green was the new black, local residents were installing solar panels on their roofs and converting food scraps into compost. But as for eco-friendly cars, well, we’re working on it.

In fairness, it hasn’t always been easy. Short of converting your gas-guzzler into a vegetable oil burner, eco-friendly cars aren’t as readily available here as they are, say, in California. But that’s about to change, with a number of electric and hybrid cars about to hit the market in the area.

The Nissan Leaf was introduced to American shores last December. The midsize hatchback electric Leaf—an acronym for “Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable Family car”—has been making waves in the industry, as its estimated to get around 100 miles per charge, a considerable increase over the initial purely electric models introduced by numerous manufacturers. Joseph Erps, sales consultant and Leaf leader at Nissan Kingston, says that despite the car not being available in the local market until later this year, the buzz is, well, electric. “A lot of people are really interested in coming by and taking a look at it,” Erps says. “Once a week we get people interested in coming in and seeing a Leaf. I’m expecting it to be a huge success for the Hudson Valley.”

Unfortunately, that’s not possible yet. The Leaf still exists, at least in the Hudson Valley, as high-tech hype. “We’re planning to have a demo vehicle, at least one, soon,” Erps says. “This way we can have people come in, check it out, and drive it. Our owner has expressed interest in buying one himself.”

Already available in New York is the Altima Hybrid, Nissan’s eco-friendly version of an already popular mid-size range car. The car utilizes the Hybrid Synergy Drive, licensed from Toyota, where it’s used in cars like the Prius, Auris, and Estima.  “You’re not compromising any loss of power,” Erps says. “It actually has more torque than a regular sedan. My parents have an Altima Hybrid and they love it.”