New York City is buying 925 EVs – here’s what’s included

From electric garbage trucks to street sweepers, New York City announced today that it will spend $10.1 million to buy 925 electric vehicles and install 315 new EV chargers.

The US Department of Transportation is providing New York City with $10.1 million of federal grant funding. The money will be used to buy 382 Chevrolet Bolts, 360 Ford E-Transit vans, and 150 Ford F-150 E-Lightning pickup trucks.

The city is also buying 25 plug-in hybrid street sweepers for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and seven Mack LR BEV garbage trucks, which feature two 130 kW motors that produce a combined 496 peak horsepower. They will be the first electric garbage trucks owned by the DSNY following a successful pilot.

The federal funds will additionally support the first major investment by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) in all-electric pickup trucks and vans. DCAS recently registered its first requirements contracts for electric cargo vans, electric pickups, and a law enforcement model of the electric pickup.

This first order of electric pickup trucks and vans brings the agency closer to meeting the goal of an all-electric light- and medium-duty fleet by 2035.

In total, the city operates more than 6,000 pickup trucks and vans that represent 25% of New York City’s total on-road fleet.

As of September 2022 – three years ahead of schedule – DCAS reached its 2025 goal of transitioning 4,000 vehicles in the city fleet to electric. Currently, the electric fleet includes a wide range of vehicle types and categories, from over 200 Ford Mustang Mach Es — most of which are used for law enforcement — to nearly 850 Chevy Bolts.

DCAS expects to operate more than 5,000 EVs by June 2023. It’s also ordered the first three electric buses for the New York City Department of Correction and is working on EV contracts for box trucks, garbage trucks for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and more electric cars to replace gas cars.

DCAS also operates the largest EV charging network in New York State, with more than 1,300 charging ports for fleet vehicles. DCAS will deploy another 600 charging ports in the next 18 months. This funding announced today is going to support the purchase of 315 additional charging units.

Julie Tighe, executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said:

Replacing 925 gas guzzlers — garbage trucks and street sweepers among them — with clean-energy vehicles is a huge step toward reducing air pollution and meeting the city’s goal of transitioning to an all-electric fleet.

And with 315 new EV chargers coming, the message to residents is clear: Replace your fossil fuel-burning car with one that is battery-powered, and the city will have the resources for you to power up.

Read more: NYPD buys Tesla Model 3 and turns it into an electric patrol vehicle

Photo: Mack

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