Red Hook is Solar Car Ground Zero

Brought to you in an old shipping container in Red Hook comes New York's first electric vehicle (EV) charging station, and this one uses a battery bank that stores solar energy to charge the cars. From In Habitat:

Located on an industrial lot near the Beautiful Earth’s headquarters overlooking downtown Manhattan, the off-grid, modular station is constructed of recycled steel shipping containers and powered solely by 235 watt photovoltaic panels. The car that is currently being charged at the station is a 100% electric BMW MINI E, and is now one of the few cars in the world to run exclusively on solar power. The vehicle has a range of just over 100 miles and takes about 3 hours to charge.

Check out the company running this amazing setup at www.beautifulearthgroup.com.

No car is really "green" and we need to get away from the mentality that our future transportation option are based around the car. Also, EV charging stations in Red Hook, which itself is out of the way for the majority of New Yorkers, will have limited use and application in building a charging station network, which is the real hold up for EVs.

Having said that, this is probably a step in the right direction in demonstrating that solar power is feasible for charging applications and (possibly) as cost-efficient as other powering methods.

Carroll Gardens Native Named New Fire Commisioner

According to both the Daily News and the Village Voice, Carroll Gardens native Sal Cassano (not to be confused with Antonio Cassano, the world-class Barese soccer player) has been named the FDNY's newest Commissioner. Although obviously lacking in housing choices (Commissioner Cassano now resides in Staten Island), he does have an impressive record as the FDNY's Chief of Department. Lets hope that fired deaths keep going down, the 911 dispatching system gets straightened out and budget woes don't force further cuts under Mr. Cassano's watch.

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