Mayor Eric Adams announces nearly 1,000 new electric vehicles to replace fossil fuel-powered city fleet vehicles and deployment of new EV charging infrastructure, in Brooklyn on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock, and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced $10.1 million in federal grants to replace nearly 925 fossil fuel-powered fleet vehicles with electric vehicles (EV) and install 315 new EV chargers across the city. DOT facilitated the grant application process through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and will administer the funding. DCAS will receive $6.2 million, and the remainder will be disbursed to the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). This investment helps advance the city’s goal of electrifying its entire vehicle fleet, building on the steps already taken by the Adams administration to meet the New York City Clean Fleet Plan ahead of schedule.
“When New Yorkers see cars, trucks, and vans with the ‘NYC’ logo on the side, they can rest assured that those vehicles are contributing to a greener city,” said Mayor Adams. “We are already ahead of schedule in transitioning city vehicles away from fossil fuels, and this new grant will allow us to take nearly 1,000 fossil-fuel vehicles off our roads, helping us reduce carbon emissions, make our air cleaner, and save on fuel costs.”
“We see the impact of climate change each day, so today’s announcement recognizes that the time for meaningful change — including accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles — is now,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “Thanks to this funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the city will be able to replace nearly 1,000 municipal vehicles — including a large proportion of DOT’s fleet — with greener alternatives. Under the leadership of Mayor Adams, we are proud to work with DCAS and our other sister agencies on our shared goal of reducing emissions from the transportation sector.”
“Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City has already become a national leader in sustainability and green infrastructure,” said First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo. “This new grant will help us continue to transition our fleet to electric vehicles, protecting our environment and continuing to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”
“Thanks to this investment from the Biden Administration, the city is poised to make huge progress on making our fleet more climate-friendly,” said 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 decarbonize some of the hardest vehicles to decarbonize: heavy-duty trucks. From cleaning the streets to getting our air cleaner, the trucks move us in the right direction.”
“The mechanical broom cleans the streets, and with these new hybrids, we’ll be able to clean the air, too,” said DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “I want to thank our partners in city government and in Washington, D.C., for making this possible.”
The $10.1 million in funding will help procure 382 Chevrolet Bolts, 360 Ford E-Transit vans, and 150 Ford F-150 E-Lightning pick-up trucks. Additionally, 25 plug-in hybrid street sweepers will be earmarked for DSNY, an important step in electrifying the city’s specialized equipment fleet.
