Responsible Fleet Practices An Element Of New York City Sustainability Plan

New York City released an updated plaNYC agenda for building a more sustainable City by 2030, in early May. The addendum builds upon what has been learned from the past four years of the program, according to the City. The updated plan has 132 initiatives and more than 400 specific milestones for Dec. 31, 2013, including the goals of fleet reduction and greening initiatives.

The plan calls for an emphasis on carsharing and reduction of use of City vehicles for commuting, for the expressed purpose of reducing the City fleet (light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles) by five percent. The City owns and operates more than 26,000 vehicles and equipment.

Currently, more than a quarter of the total fleet runs on hybrid engines or alternative fuels. Implementation of a Clean Fleet Transition plan to convert more of the fleet to alternative fuel, or hybrid vehicles, is in the works. Chevrolet Volts are expected to be added to the fleet. In addition, the City will install more than 60 electric vehicle charging units at City-owned facilities and garages, to prepare for the expansion of its plug-in fleet.

An expansion of biodiesel use is also planned. The Department of Parks and Recreation, which uses B-20 biodiesel in all its diesel units, is now working with B-50 blends. Other agencies using B-5 will switch to B-20 during the summer, according to the plan.

New York City will also work with private fleets to retrofit their vehicles or switch to alternative fuel vehicles.The City's plan also proposes to transform the conventional fleet storage lots into automated vertically stacked facilities.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004