NEW YORK–– Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order today that will reduce the size of the City’s on-road vehicle fleet, deepening its commitment to address climate change and reduce emissions 80 percent by 2050. The City will eliminate at least 1,000 vehicles from its fleet by June 2021 – about the same number of cars parked on the street of eight Manhattan blocks. The order will also reduce the number of take-home vehicles by at least 500 vehicles, curtail the reliance on SUVs in the City fleet and promote greater vehicle efficiency by using advanced data collection. With the order, the City estimates 10 million fewer miles will be driven by City vehicles each year, resulting in reduced congestion, cutting the City’s annual fuel consumption by 500,000 gallons, and decreasing annual emissions by 6,300 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of burning nearly seven million pounds of coal. The City’s fleet currently has 25,690 on-road vehicles.
“Sustainability isn’t about maintaining the status quo, it’s about changing the way we live and get around,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Eliminating unnecessary vehicles from our streets and replacing gas-guzzling SUVs with electric cars will bring us one step closer to our carbon emission reduction goals, which means a cleaner New York City for all.”
“The climate crisis is real and it’s urgent, and that is why we are scaling back and greening up the City’s vehicle fleet,” said Lisette Camilo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. “To support Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a cleaner and safer New York, we are using new technology to right-size the City’s fleet and to more efficiently use the cars we do need.”
“Leading the charge against climate change means constantly finding new ways to increase efficiency and decrease emissions,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “This executive order uses a thorough, data-driven approach to make the nation’s greenest fleet even greener.”
This executive order is based on a data-driven approach. By removing 1,000 vehicles under the order, the City will review every agency’s fleet to ensure the vehicles are being used efficiently and will reduce the fleet size as needed. The City will increase its goal for daily vehicle usage rate from 67 percent to 80 percent. This means at least 80 percent of the City’s fleet should be used daily, except for certain emergency, specialized, or seasonal vehicles.
The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will also review every take-home car currently in the fleet and use vehicle data to identify usage patterns. Take-home vehicles that are underused will be re-assigned to the agency’s fleet pool, which can be used by multiple employees.
The executive order will also direct DCAS to replace at least 250 SUVs with electric plug-in sedans. In addition to environmental benefits, electric sedans have significantly lower maintenance costs.
This latest move builds upon the Mayor’s commitment to transform the City’s vehicle fleet into a more green and carbon-neutral fleet:
The City now operates over 1,750 on-road electric vehicles, the largest network for any municipal government.
The City operates a network of over 568 electric vehicle charging stations, including the largest network of solar-powered vehicle chargers, with 65 in use.
Last year the City began using renewable diesel, a 99 percent petroleum-free diesel alternative made of organic material.
Light-duty fleet vehicles purchased during the most recent Fiscal Year achieved an average fuel economy equivalent of 100 miles per gallon (MPG).
The City has ordered its first 190 hybrid pursuit rated police vehicles.
The signed executive order can be found here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2019/eo-41.pdf
“Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Order reducing the City’s vehicle fleet is a major step toward making New York greener, healthier, more livable and more efficient. Taking 1,000 or more vehicles off our street, is a tremendous step toward reducing traffic congestion, decreasing fuel consumption and slashing vehicle emissions into our air. In the midst of historic transit delays and fewer resources to boost public transit, the City of New York is taking responsibility to curb use of city-owned vehicles to meet these challenges. This is the right thing to do,” said Council Member Fernando Cabrera, Chair of the Committee on Governmental Operations.
“This is a strong step in the right direction to making a greener, carbon-neutral vehicle fleet for New York City,” said Council Member Costa Constantinides, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection. “I look forward to building upon this with more initiatives to make our fleet electric or hybrid, wherever possible. In the absence of real federal leadership on climate change, it’s on New York City to take a stand against Big Oil and lead the fight against climate change.”
“CALSTART salutes Mayor de Blasio and the Fleet Services division at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services for continued leadership in the clean transportation sector,” said Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President at CALSTART, the nation’s leading clean transportation consortium. “The NYC Fleet is a global example for addressing congestion, clean air, climate and fuel efficiency. By adopting advanced vehicle technologies, using low-carbon fuels, and right-sizing the fleet and streamlining its vehicle demands, it is showing us how to save fuel, money and make a more livable, sustainable city – all at the same time.”
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said, “The transportation sector is the #1 contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. Reducing the number of municipal vehicles on the road and converting some SUVs to electric cars are important steps to reduce congestion, and help meet New York City’s 80×50 emission reduction goal in the fight against climate change. Sustainable transportation is one of NYLCV’s top priorities and we thank Mayor de Blasio for his attention to this important climate issue.”
“This is a great show of leadership from the Mayor of New York. As the city with the largest fleet of electric vehicles, they are now going even further to cut emissions and tackle inner city air pollution,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group. “This executive order will switch polluting vehicles to electric, reduce cost, and increase efficiency. Congratulations to Mayor de Blasio – we hope other U.S. cities are inspired to follow suit.”