NEW YORK – Today, Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Louis A. Molina and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Robert S. Tucker joined attendees at the 2025 NYC Fleet Show in Flushing Meadows Corona Park to announce the purchasing of 30 all-electric vehicles (EVs) for FDNY. The latest purchase will double FDNY’s electric fleet units, with four being the City’s first-ever EV paramedic response units (PRUs). The new units will increase Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicle availability, ultimately lowering response times. This investment modernizes emergency service operations, showcasing the City’s continued dedication to its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and supporting first responders in their ability to deliver life-saving care to New Yorkers. In addition to this expansion of fully electric units, FDNY fleet uses hybrids, alternative power units (APUs) and solar panels on ambulances, and renewable diesel. New York City leads the nation as the most sustainable fire services fleet.

“With this purchase, we meet at the vital intersection of safety and sustainable efficiency,” said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “By all measures, electrifying the City’s fleet has continuously stood as the clear path forward to an even greener New York City, and we are proud to work with FDNY to advance the City’s emissions reduction plans while enhancing public safety capabilities. This ongoing transformation across municipal fleet highlights how our widespread vision of fleet efficiency is not only defined by power, but also by the ability to preserve our environment, protect New Yorkers, and dramatically improve our qualities of life.”

“Getting to life-threatening emergencies is incredibly important, and these new EVs will allow us to increase our PRU capabilities, which we know will lower response times and save lives,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker. “We are grateful to our partners at DCAS for helping us increase our response while at the same time working toward the City’s green energy goals.”

“Fire services offer a high-impact challenge for electrification, making this investment a key ground for innovation,” states DCAS Deputy Commissioner and NYC Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman. “In partnership with FDNY, we’re bringing 30 all-electric units to New York City streets, including the first EV paramedic response units. To comprehensively address sustainability in other areas, each of the City’s ambulances have been equipped with electric alternative power unit (APU) batteries, solar panels, and are completely powered by renewable diesel. In greening FDNY’s sensitive and complex emergency equipment, we prove that we can enhance anything with sustainable and eco-friendly solutions.”

Through this purchase, FDNY is rolling out 11 Ford Mustang Mach-E crossovers, 13 Ford F-150 Lightning pickups, 5 Chevrolet Blazer EV SUVs, and 1 Ford E-Transit cargo van. FDNY uses an additional 42 on and off-road electric vehicles in non-emergency support roles currently.

FDNY’s new electric vehicles are stationed at three EMS stations in the Bronx— Stations 18, 26 and 55, and, as part of the PRU, will increase unit availability for ALS, which are high-priority, life-threatening emergencies. These calls make up approximately 35% of FDNY EMS call volume. When a traditional transport ALS unit responds to assignments that are initially triaged as life-threatening emergencies, but end up not being one, the unit must remain with the patient for the duration of the assignment, which averages about 75 minutes. The PRU model allows ALS providers to quickly transfer non-critical patients to basic life support (BLS) units and then return to service, which improves availability and therefore helps lower response time. If a call is confirmed as a life-threatening emergency, the PRU continues treatment during transport.

FDNY has 33 total charging ports including their first fast charger which DCAS installed at EMS 18 in the Bronx to support this initiative. In addition to increasing their all-electric fleet units and charging capabilities, FDNY is augmenting existing emergency vehicles with sustainable implements. Starting with Local Law 72 of 2013, DCAS and FDNY partnered to install plug-in hybrid batteries as alternative power units (APUs) on all of the City’s ambulances. To date, 634 out 636 ambulances have APU systems installed. FDNY is also procuring new ambulances with solar panels. These panels will serve to replenish the ambulances’ batteries and offset the limitations of plug-in charging. Currently, 350 ambulances have solar panels installed, with 150 more on order. To further support emissions reductions, all FDNY vehicles have successfully transitioned to renewable diesel as part of a citywide initiative.

These developments advance the City’s Clean Fleet Plan originally published by DCAS in 2015. Over the last decade, the City has taken major strides to exceed its goals ahead of schedule. The initial goal of acquiring 2,000 electric vehicles by 2025 was met early on, and in May 2024, DCAS announced that the City had surpassed 5,000 electric vehicles. This latest purchase helps put the City on track to surpass the new target of 6,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2025—tripling the original goal.

The City of New York operates the largest municipal fleet in the nation and is leading the charge in energy efficiency and emissions reductions efforts in fleet vehicles on the East Coast. Beyond electrification, the City has utilized a multifaceted strategy to comprehensively address fleet sustainability, including increasing the use of solar power and biofuels. In September 2024, DCAS announced the complete transition of municipal fleet to renewable diesel including all FDNY trucks and off-road equipment. The ongoing progress in clean fleet initiatives is a significant step forward, keeping the City on course to fulfill the Clean Fleet Plan’s overall objectives: reducing 50% of emissions by 2025 and 80% of emissions by 2035, from a 2005 baseline.