New York Plugs Electric Vehicles

New York City is scrubbing soot from its skyline by turning to electric vehicles, from heavy trucks to compact cars.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday announced the purchase of a new type of hybrid electric-diesel sanitation truck and an experimental electric version of the Mini Cooper compact car for use by city inspectors. He also said the city would study the electric vehicle market to find ways to get more pluggable trucks, buses and cars onto city streets.

The goal is to reduce the amount of carbon emitted by the city government 30 percent by 2017 and the entire city’s carbon emissions 30 percent by 2030.

“We want the vehicles driven in New York to be more energy efficient and use cleaner fuels,” Bloomberg said Aug. 24. “City government is leading by example.”

Clean garbage trucks are part of that example. The city sanitation department added four hybrid trucks to its fleet, three hybrid garbage trucks from Mack Trucks and Crane Carrier and a heavy-duty hybrid truck from Kenworth Truck to haul supplies.

With the help of city and state aid, private companies are following. New Deal Logistics, a northeastern trucking and logistics company in South Kearney, N.J., received nearly $303,000 from the state and city to purchase two electric trucks for use in New York City and install a quick charge unit on each vehicle. Those trucks will replace retiring vehicles. The company will also test solar charging technology.

New Deal Logistics also will participate in a test of off-hour truck deliveries in September sponsored in part by the city and conducted by researchers led by Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.