Auto shows are invariably about the future, whether it is consumers contemplating their next dream machine or the carmakers showcasing the rides of tomorrow. But at this year's New York International Auto Show, the future has arrived in the form of the electric car, along with all the supporting parts of the electric car ecosystem.
In fact, with a team of New York state agencies and industry partners promoting electric vehicles at the auto show, in a city that has just agreed to "congestion pricing" to discourage gasoline-powered traffic in Midtown Manhattan, New York is poised to emerge as a national leader in the e-mobility revolution.
For proponents of e-mobility, the New York approach can be a model for speeding the local, state and national adoption of EVs with all the benefits in cleaner air and quieter streets this revolution can provide.
Forecasters, including the International Energy Agency, predict that by 2035 the share of EVs on U.S. roads could exceed 50 percent. And as ride-hailing services and fleet owners move to take advantage of the lower costs of operation and ownership that EVs can provide, the market share of electric vehicles seems destined to expand.