City’s Fast Electric Vehicle Chargers to Power Fleet Vehicles in a Fraction of the Time

 

In Addition to Supporting Greenest Municipal Vehicle Fleet in the Country, Some Chargers Now Open for Public Use

New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Lisette Camilo today announced that the City has opened 58 fast electric vehicle charging stations to power City fleet vehicles. Fast electric vehicle chargers can charge vehicles seven times as quickly as regular chargers – allowing for 120 miles of driving on a one-hour charge. Faster charging will enable DCAS to phase out more gas-powered vehicles and replace them with electric vehicles to help meet Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal of a fully-electric vehicle fleet by 2040. The City currently has over 2,700 electric vehicles in its fleet. By the end of the year, the City expects to have at least 100 fast charging stations in operation. In addition to the fast chargers’ use for City fleet vehicles, DCAS has opened two charging stations for public use: three fast chargers are available at Randalls Island and two at Midland Beach. At least five stations will be available for public use by June 2021. “The City of New York is building the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country and will have an all-electric fleet by 2040,” said Lisette Camilo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. “As more gas-powered vehicles are replaced with electric vehicles, we will now be able to charge them faster than ever before.”   The City began implementing fast electric vehicle chargers as part of its NYC Clean Fleet Initiative in 2019. The achievement announced today brings the City one step closer to its goal of cutting fleet emissions in half by 2025. DCAS is in the process of bidding additional electric vehicle contracts for fleet vehicles used in government operations, including electric garbage trucks for the Department of Parks and Recreation, electric vans, and electric pickup trucks. These new units will rely on the fast charging network. In addition to environmental benefits, electric vehicles save money on vehicle maintenance and fueling costs.  Currently, the City has one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in the country, with over 1,000 charging ports and growing. The network includes 87 solar carports that can charge vehicles using nothing but sunlight. These solar carports are mobile and can also be used for emergency charging if other charging options are unavailable. This City’s solar carport initiative is the largest portable solar carport project in the world.  “Thanks to Mayor de Blasio, NYC Fleet is on its way to an all-electric future by 2040,” said, Keith Kerman, NYC Chief Fleet Officer and DCAS Deputy Commissioner. “Fast charging is critical to support the expansion of plug-in technology to the City’s fleet of vans, pickups, and public works trucks that support critical public services every day. This new clean charging infrastructure paves the way for the fleet of tomorrow.”  To date, DCAS has replaced 2,200 gas-powered on-road fleet vehicles with plug-in electric models. The City also operates over 500 off-road electric and solar units. Through electric vehicles, hybrids, and other efficiencies, DCAS has reduced total fuel use by over 2.8 million gallons over the last three years. The benefits of an electric fleet are not only greener, but economical as well. Compared to gas-powered vehicles, the all-electric sedan costs 65% less to maintain, saving over $550 per year for each vehicle.  In addition to ongoing investments in green technologies to reduce emissions, in March 2019 Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order to reduce the size of the city’s on-road vehicle fleet by March 2021. The City is on target to meet and exceed this goal.

About DCAS

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) provides shared services to support the operations of New York City government. Its commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides its work with City agencies on recruiting, hiring, and training employees; providing facilities management for 56 public buildings; acquiring, selling, and leasing City property; purchasing more than $1 billion in supplies and equipment each year; and implementing conservation and safety programs through the City's facilities and vehicle fleet.