New target for 20% of motor vehicles sold for use in NYC to be electric by 2025, supported by initial $10 million capital investment in fast charging infrastructure citywide
In advance of Earth Day on April 22, Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that New York City’s municipal vehicle fleet is ahead of schedule to meet its target of adding 2,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025. The City’s vehicle fleet currently boasts more than 650 EV sedans and more than 75 Stealth ambulances, which run on battery power rather than idle their engines to support on-board services. The municipal fleet will have 1,000 EV sedans by the end of July 2017, halfway toward the Clean Fleet goal, with eight years still to go.
“Just over a year ago, we committed to bring more EVs into the city fleet, making a more sustainable city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I am proud to say that we’re well ahead of schedule. Now it’s time to go further, by working with partners to build the infrastructure needed to make these vehicles of the future more accessible to New Yorkers. When it comes to meeting the challenge of climate change while creating a more just and equitable city, New York is leading the way.”
In light of this rapid expansion, Mayor de Blasio today also announced a bold new target for 20% of the motor vehicles sold for use in New York City to be electric by 2025, up from less than 1% today. This commitment includes an initial $10 million capital investment to support fast charging infrastructure that will extend access to electric mobility across the city. The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will jointly direct this strategic investment along with complementary partnerships and policies to meet this EV penetration target, while taking into account the potential impacts on car ownership and traffic volumes to avoid exacerbating congestion on city streets.
One critical partnership for expanding EV penetration got underway this week, as Con Edison announced a plan to invest up to an additional $25 million in innovative EV strategies and infrastructure. The company released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking partners with the expertise to work on projects such as placing public fast chargers in the city and putting more than 100 EV chargers on NYC sidewalks. These would be the first-ever public street chargers in the city and a step toward serving the many New Yorkers who do not have their own driveways or parking lots. Fast charging could enable the electrification of taxis, carshare, passenger cars and delivery vehicles.
In addition, a new EV workplace charging program being funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), with support from DOT, was launched earlier this year. The “Charge to Work” program is a partnership between NYSERDA, DOT, CALSTART, Empire Clean Cities Coalition, ChargePoint, ABM, and NESCAUM. Recognizing that the presence of vehicle charging stations at the workplace is a strong predictor of EV adoption by commuters, Charge to Work will engage employers in and around New York City to provide incentives for the installation of more than 100 vehicle charging stations at workplaces in hopes of stimulating adoption of more than 450 EVs in the greater metropolitan area by 2020. Charge to Work supports the Governor’s Charge NY initiative, which is accelerating the growth of electric vehicle market in the state through education, research, consumer outreach and financial support for the installation of charging stations throughout New York state.
Also earlier this year, New York City joined 29 other U.S. cities in issuing a joint Request for Information (RFI) to invite automakers to address an unprecedented expression of demand for EVs. New York City’s municipal fleet represents more than 20% of the nearly 114,000 vehicles captured in the RFI and contributes to a powerful message that cities will lead the way on clean vehicles as federal support for transportation sustainability recedes.
