Fleet of Bikes to Help Power New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square

Looking to the future of green fleets, this December 31st a fleet of Citi Bikes will help power the New Year’s Eve Ball at Times Square, New York.

More specifically, Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins, Countdown Entertainment President Jeffrey A. Straus, Citi Executive Vice President for Global Public Affairs Edward Skyler and New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan have announced New Yorkers and visitors will have an opportunity to help power the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop using stationary Citi Bike® bicycles.

From December 28th to 30th, a Citi Bike Pedal Power Station at 7th Avenue and 42nd Street will feature six Citi Bike bicycles that people will be invited to ride to generate kinetic energy that will be collected and stored in batteries. That energy will be transferred to the New York City power grid to offset the energy needed to light the New Year’s Eve Ball.

“Citi Bikes have energized New York City, transforming it into a far greener place while making New Yorkers more healthy,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “Now New Yorkers can do themselves and the world a service by energizing the New Year’s Eve Ball, making the world’s most famous celebration greener and better!”

“After propelling themselves more than 11 million miles over the last seven months, Citi Bike riders will now have a chance to help propel New York City and the world into the New Year,” said Citi EVP of Global Public Affairs Edward Skyler. “The Citi Bike Pedal Power Station will highlight the sustainability of the program and give riders a chance to power one of New York City’s oldest icons with one of its newest.”

“On New Year’s Eve, we’re going to tap into the energy that’s ridden Citi Bikes the equivalent of 450 trips around the globe,” said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “With the year’s biggest party being powered by Citi Bike pedals, the world is in for an even more electrifying experience when the ball drops.”

The six bikes at the Citi Bike Pedal Power Station will be connected to 12-volt deep cycle batteries. Each bike is expected to generate an average of 75 watts per hour. The Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball is lit by more than 30,000 LEDs. Throughout the three-day event, a power meter at the Citi Bike Pedal Power Station will show how much energy has been generated.

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are the organizers of Times Square New Year’s Eve. The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the energy, edge and distinctiveness that have made it an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life. Countdown Entertainment represents the owners of One Times Square and the New Year’s Eve Ball.

Citi Bike launched on May 27 to annual members and June 2 to users purchasing daily and weekly passes in the initial service area, including Manhattan below 59th Street and in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene and DUMBO. Citi Bike is the nation’s largest bike share system and is funded in part by a $41 million sponsorship from Citi. More information at: citibikenyc.com.

Category: General Update