As Washington Rolls Back Fuel Economy Standards, NYC Leads the Way

The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) today announced that the City of New York has achieved an average fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon for light duty fleet vehicles purchased during Fiscal Year 2018.

This achievement is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s NYC Clean Fleet Plan and nearly doubles the average fuel economy from vehicles purchased just three years ago. This milestone comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s announcement that it plans to halt existing plans to increase federal fuel economy standards.

“At a time when Washington is turning its back on fuel economy standards, the City of New York is leading the way,” said Lisette Camilo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. “Through the use of electric and alternative fuel vehicles, we have achieved a significant milestone that demonstrates that cities have an important role to play in fighting the climate crisis.”

“NYC Fleet employs sedans, SUVs, small pickups and mini-vans, the same vehicles and makes that most Americans drive daily,” said Keith Kerman, DCAS Deputy Commissioner and NYC Chief Fleet Officer. “We are successfully employing hybrid and electric models, reducing fuel use and maintenance costs, and operating in every type of condition. We are moving forward on fuel economy, not backwards.”

In FY18, the City, through DCAS, has invested $36 million to purchase more than 1,000 alternative fuel vehicles, including 581 plug-in electric or solar units. This includes 452 electric sedans, 51 mobile solar light towers, and its first two plug-in mini-vans.

DCAS achieved the 100 MPG mark through a combination of electric cars, hybrid SUVs, and small pickups. The vehicles purchased during FY18 will reduce fossil fuel use by nearly 70% compared to traditional vehicles.

The City of New York has the cleanest and greenest municipal government vehicle fleet in the country. Recent milestones include:

• Purchasing the City’s 1,700^th electric and plug in vehicle.
• Beginning the use of renewable diesel, a 99% petroleum-free alternative to traditional diesel fuel.
• Installing 37 solar charging carports to charge electric vehicles using nothing but sunlight.

The NYC Clean Fleet initiative was announced by Mayor de Blasio in 2015. Under the plan, the City will cut municipal vehicle emissions in half by 2025 and 80% by 2035. This plan is part of the Mayor’s overarching goal to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions in New York City 80% by 2050. Several of the goals of the NYC Clean Fleet plan include:

• Replacing at least 2,000 fossil fuel sedans with plug-in electric vehicles.
• Expanding the use of anti-idling, hybrid, and stop-start technologies to reduce emissions when vehicles are not driving.
• Increasing the use of alternatives to traditional diesel fuels.

At the end of FY18, over 18,500 City fleet units used some type of cleaner fuel alternative including biodiesel, renewable diesel, electric, natural gas, hybrids, and even solar units. The City now operates 40 different makes and models of alternative fuel equipment. The City also operates more than 500 electric charging stations, the largest electric vehicle charging network for any fleet in the nation.

“Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels not only decreases greenhouse gas emissions but makes our air cleaner,” said NYC Council Member Costa Constantinides, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection. “It is especially encouraging to see the City fleet’s fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon, because transportation is a leading source of carbon emissions nationwide. We must further this work as well as bolster the strides we have already made to incorporate more electric vehicles into our fleet.”

The City’s more fuel-efficient fleet is also a safer fleet. Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative and our Safe Fleet Transition Plan, DCAS is incorporating additional safety outfitting at the same time as the agency introduces greener vehicles. Safety and fuel efficiency go together.

The post As Washington Rolls Back Fuel Economy Standards, NYC Leads the Way appeared first on Fleet Management Weekly.

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