According to a recent report published by Green Car Congress, New York City is accelerating its already aggressive efforts to electrify its entire fleet of public vehicles. Not only will the city invest some $420 million in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and other alternative fuels, but it will also work to move to a fully electric fleet by 2035.
The report notes that NYC had already set an earlier goal to go all-electric by 2040. That said, the new $420 million investment will be in addition to the previous $75 million in related investments the city just announced back in September 2021.
If New York City is able to follow through with these plans, it will go down in history as the largest investment ever made to fully electrify a public vehicle fleet. Green Car Congress explains:
"All light-duty, medium-duty, and non-emergency heavy-duty vehicles will be converted to electric by 2035. This entails the most aggressive fleet electrification target in the country, and includes earlier restrictions for passenger cars and light trucks requiring electrification by 2030. New York City operates nearly 30,000 vehicles, the largest municipal fleet in the country."
In order to carry out this monumental effort, NYC has to take a plethora of important steps going forward. Fortunately, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has already signed an executive order to get the ball rolling.
The executive order will increase related staff and up funding for the support and maintenance of upcoming EV charging networks. However, it does clarify that some "specialized vehicles," such as fire engines, will be allowed to stick to the previous 2040 goal if there aren't compelling fully electric versions available.
Highlights of the NYC plan include replacing all of the city's gas-powered vehicles, beginning with a minimum of 1,250 in 2022 alone. All cars operated by "senior City officials" will be fully electric by June 30, 2023.
In addition, the city will install at least 1,776 EV fast chargers by 2030, with a minimum of 100 available for public use as well. The plan also includes portable mobile EV chargers, solar carports, and the expansion of various alternative fuels.
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Source: Green Car Congress