NYC Set to Transition Heavy-Duty Fleet Vehicles to Renewable Fuel

New York City is taking the first steps toward transitioning all heavy-duty vehicles in the city’s fleet from fossil to renewable fuel. The city’s fleet currently includes more than 12,600 on- and off-road trucks and specialized equipment that operate on diesel fuel — but by the end of Fiscal Year 2024, they will all operate on renewable diesel.

Renewable diesel will replace up to 16 million gallons of fossil fuel used every year to power the city’s heavy-duty fleet, which includes garbage trucks and ambulances. After the full rollout of 16 million gallons of renewable diesel, officials stated the city will have cut 128 billion grams of carbon dioxide pollution each year. The transition began this past September, with 2.5 million gallons of renewable diesel already used across heavy-duty vehicles.

As the city works to fully electrify its entire vehicle fleet — in line with the goals of Intro. 279-A, which Mayor Eric Adams signed into law in October 2023 — renewable diesel represents an important intermediate step until viable electric models become fully available for city trucks and specialized equipment.

Currently, 20,450 city vehicles — nearly three-quarters of the entire fleet — use a type of cleaner fuel alternative, such as electric, solar, hybrid, or biofuels. The city is also on track to meet its goal of eliminating half of the fleet’s 2015 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2025, as outlined in the NYC Clean Fleet Plan.

Moving Swiftly to Electrify the City's Fleet

DCAS expects to operate over 5,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2023, with the number of electric vehicles in the DCAS-managed fleet increasing by 49% in Fiscal Year 2023. DCAS also already operates the largest electric vehicle charging network in New York state, with over 1,800 charging ports available to fleet vehicles, including fast chargers and solar carports.

DCAS will deploy another 500 charging ports in the next 18 months. The Adams administration has also supported the efforts of private partners to complement the city’s work by investing in and expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the city.

Already, NYC has transitioned 4,000 city vehicles to electric vehicles three years ahead of schedule and winning more than $10 million in federal funding to transition nearly 1,000 more, creating the “Green Rides” program to make for-hire vehicles zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible by 2030, and adding active intelligent speed assistance technology in hundreds of city vehicles.

Approved Oil Company Secures Multi-Year Deal to Power All NYC Agencies with Renewable Diesel

Under a multi-year contract with New York City, Approved Oil Company will supply Renewable Diesel to the fleets of various New York City agencies, including the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the New York Police Department (NYPD), the New York Fire Department (FDNY), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and the Department of Correction (DOC).