In the last two years, NYC Fleet has implemented a project to test the effectiveness, longevity, and performance of tires made substantially of soybean oil, an extension of its 15 years of experience with soybean-based biofuel. As per the supplier Goodyear, these assurance weather ready tires reduce the use of fossil fuel by 60% and offer the promise of increased life and road performance.  

Fleet has procured 1,000 biotires at six agencies. The investment of nearly $90,000 was funded through existing maintenance funds by replacing traditional petroleum-based tires with the biotires on a normal replacement schedule.

To get a full sense of the effectiveness of these new tires, fleet will be assessing the fuel efficiency of the vehicles using these tires, as well as the useful life of the tires, and comparing them to traditional tires.