The City of New York will invest $420 million in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and alternative fuels to accelerate the transition to an all-electric municipal vehicle fleet.

The new investments, the largest ever made in the electrification of a public vehicle fleet, will help the City achieve an all-electric fleet by 2035, five years sooner than the previous goal of 2040. 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.

With the new investments to facilitate the transition to an all-electric fleet, the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will:

• Begin a central replacement program for the City’s gas-powered vehicles, starting with at least 1,250 in 2022. DCAS is in the process of finalizing a contract with a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) vendor to supply many of these vehicles.

• Install at least 1,776 fast electric vehicle chargers spanning all five boroughs by 2030. DCAS will make at least 100 of the 1,776 fast chargers open to the public. DCAS completed its 100^th fast charger last month, with 11 open to the public, and is beginning work on an additional 275.

• Add 180 portable mobile electric vehicle chargers and solar carports. These solar carports and portable chargers can be moved from location to location, supporting flexible and emergency charging as the City of New York transitions the fleet to electric vehicles. Solar carports can fully power vehicles without a connection to the electric grid. Both technologies can serve as a power back-up for electric vehicles in the event of a power outage.

• Expand the use of other alternative fuels, including renewable diesel, a 99% petroleum-free alternative to traditional diesel fuel. Renewable diesel is made from domestic waste products, achieves a 60% greenhouse gas reduction, and features lower tailpipe emissions than fossil fuel. It also is manufactured to the same specification as regular diesel, enabling seamless use by the City fleet and storage in the City’s fuel storage tanks. Renewable diesel will be used in the truck fleet until electric vehicle units are available.

• Transition all vehicles operated by senior City officials to be exclusively electric by June 30, 2023. DCAS and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will also conduct a review of the suitability of each SUV used in city government to end the unnecessary use of such vehicles.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 90 to codify this transition. The Order also provides DCAS with additional staffing and funding to support and maintain the electric vehicle charging network. Only specialized emergency trucks, like fire engines, will be allowed to maintain the original 2040 target date for electrification if suitable replacement models are not yet available on the market.

These investments are in addition to $75 million in investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure announced in September 2021.