Keith Kerman, Chief Fleet Officer and Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), leads the most sustainable public fleet in the country with 5,700 electric vehicles (EVs), including the Staten Island Ferry, which is powered by renewable diesel. 

Kerman stopped by Automotive Fleet’s Fleet Forward Tour Somerset stop to share what he has learned on the path of electrification.

Operational Insights: What Fleets Can Learn

With the largest public EV fleet in the country, Kerman had much to share on how to successfully scale and deploy EVs. 

With his research-forward approach, Kerman had much insight on the operational efficiencies of managing a sustainable fleet. 

“We just published a report on EV battery operations. We studied 6.5 million miles of EV battery operation in actual operation through our fleet office of real-time traffic, and found that EVs, in actual operation, are 900% more efficient than the combustion engine,” Kerman explained. 

While there is an impact on range during the winter months, a 35% decrease in range, the extent of the impact depends on the degree of cold. Even with this reduction in rage, it can be planned for, and adjustments can be made as needed. 

Even with this road bump, the savings and benefits far outweigh the challenges with maintenance savings of over 70% from ICE vehicles.

Forward Momentum with the EV Fleet

NYC is the largest operator of the Chevy Bolt, with 1,200 vehicles in operation, all of which have between 5,000 and 8,000 miles. 

Battery degradation over time was initially a concern; however, one study found that battery degradation is not substantial over time.

“Within the scope of how we all normally operate at most, you know, gapping 80% using 80% of the tank or a battery, it's no impact at all,” he added.

When asked about medium-duty vehicles, Kerman confirmed that they have heavy-duty garbage trucks, both 20-yard and 25-yard models, sweepers, box vans, and electric school buses.

DCAS has found success with EV cargo vans and is exploring higher-range models for the future. 

He explained that, although they are a municipal fleet, they operate more like a business. A van that works one way for one department can be used completely differently for another. 

“We call it a municipal fleet, but it's not. It's 400 or 500 different businesses, and they're all kind of unique. How DOT sanitation parks use a passenger van has nothing to do with how that exact same make and model passenger van is being used by the police department. They're completely different operations, with different outfitting and duty cycles,” Kerman said. 

He added that EV adoption for police vehicles is more challenging and will take longer to implement. 

Charger Maintenance

DCAS runs the largest charging network currently in NY with 2,300 ports, 400 fast charging, 160 solar or independent carports, and the rest being level two. 

Maintenance for these chargers is a challenge. To address this issue, Kerman scaled up a four-person team consisting of two field personnel and two city auto mechanics. They are the city's maintenance and repair team for electric charging. 

At its launch, 22% of the city's chargers were out of service. Since its inception, they have maintained a steady rate of 5%.

They have also invested in portable chargers, in case a car breaks down due to running out of charge, although he notes that it has never happened.