New York City launches major push for electric vehicles

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a major push to increase the number of electric vehicles on the streets of New York City.

The program will invest $75 million in new electric vehicles, the largest single investment in battery powered vehicles in the city’s history.

The city will also install 275 fast chargers for electric vehicles across the all five boroughs.

Fast chargers can refresh vehicle batteries up to seven times faster than regular chargers.

The new plan also calls for replacing 125 city-owned diesel trucks with electric vehicles, and purchasing 78 hybrid ambulances for the FDNY, the mayor said.

The long term goal is to have the city’s vehicle fleet fully electric, something de Blasio hoped would happen sometime in the next decade.

Wednesday’s announcement is the latest in a series of moves the de Blasio administration is taking to address climate change by reducing the city’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Tuesday, the mayor announced a deal to connect New York City with hydroelectric power, wind power and solar electricity from Canada and upstate New York.

Back in June, the city installed its first curbside electric vehicle charging stations in the Bronx, part of a pilot program that hopes to make it easier for people to use electric vehicles citywide.