Driven by an investment in electric vehicles (EVs), fuel economy of new non-emergency light- and medium-duty vehicle purchases for the New York City fleet reached 83.7 mpg in the 2017 fiscal year. 

New York City has continued its efforts to move its fleet toward renewable fuels and electricity in fiscal-year 2017, achieving milestones in EV implementation, fuel economy, and biodiesel, the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) reported.  

NYC surpassed its initial goal of having 1,000 EVs on the road by July, reaching 1,030 on-road battery-electric or plug-in hybrid units. The EVs are currently being used by 23 agencies throughout the city.

Fleet also expanded its EV charging network to 393 units, with more EVs and chargers to be used in FY-18. Reporting through the city’s ChargePoint network showed a 45% increase in electricity used for transport from FY-15 to FY-17.

FY-17 was also the city’s largest year in biodiesel, with 94% of all diesel fuel being blended with biodiesel. Fleet used a record 16 million gallons of blended biodiesel of 5%, 10%, or 20%, which was the equivalent of 2.1 million gallons of pure biodiesel.

In July, DCAS posted a public notice for a one-million gallon demonstration project for renewable diesel for the city fleet. DCAS plans to have this project launched by the end of 2017 focusing on Parks, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Sanitation.

The city expects renewable diesel to help with greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction for truck operations without some of the cold weather, underground storage tanks, and warranty impacts that come with biodiesel.

The New York City fleet is continuing its charge to reduce GHG 50% by 2025.