New York boosts EV fleet transition with $10 million grant

New York is using US$10.1 million in federal grants to replace 925 fossil fuel-powered fleet vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) and install 315 EV chargers across the city.

The vehicles will include electric transit vans and pick-up trucks for city agencies, and electric refuse trucks and hybrid plug-in street sweepers for the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY).

Funding will be administered through the US Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.

“Thanks to this investment from the Biden Administration, the city is poised to make huge progress on making our fleet more climate-friendly,” said New York’s Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.

“Our agencies rely on these vehicles to complete vital operations within the five boroughs, and this funding helps us decarbonise some of the hardest vehicles to decarbonise: heavy-duty trucks.

“From cleaning the streets to getting our air cleaner, the trucks move us in the right direction.”

Goals

The city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will receive US$6.2 million in funding, with the remainder going to the DSNY.

As of September 2022, DCAS reached its 2025 goal of transitioning 4,000 vehicles in the city fleet to EVs – three years ahead of schedule.

Currently, the department’s electric fleet includes a wide range of vehicle types and categories, from over 200 Ford Mustang Mach Es – predominantly for law enforcement purposes – to nearly 850 GM Bolts.

DCAS expects to operate over 5,000 EVs by June 2023. The agency has also ordered the first three electric buses for the New York City Department of Correction and is working on EV contracts for box trucks, garbage trucks for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and additional replacements of fossil fuel-powered cars with electric models.

“We are laying the groundwork for an all-electric fleet of the future that will support critical citywide operations while benefiting the environment,” said DCAS Commissioner Dawn Pinnock.

“Through this funding from the US Department of Transportation, we are poised to make a significant transition for our light- and medium-duty fleet.

“This is a critical next step for our agency as we lead the charge in government fleet operations.”

Charger expansion

On Monday, Brooklyn-based electric mobility and infrastructure firm Revel announced plans to expand the number of public fast chargers for EVs across New York City.

The company said it intends to develop and open five new EV fast-charging “superhubs” across multiple boroughs to add 136 public charging stalls.

The largest site, set to feature 60 stalls, will be in Queens, with smaller hubs in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Last year the company installed the city’s first vehicle-to-grid two-way charging system, receiving funding from a New York State clean transportation initiative.

Image: MTA