Electric Volvo VNR trucks to support City Harvest in New York
City Harvest, the largest food rescue organisation in New York City, will use the zero-tailpipe-emission trucks for food rescue and distribution across all five boroughs. The vehicles will be fitted with battery-electric transport refrigeration units, enabling fully electric operation during collection and delivery. According to the project partners, this will allow food logistics to be carried out without local exhaust emissions in densely populated residential neighbourhoods.
Charging operations will initially take place at a new charging installation at the Fulton Fish Market Cooperative in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, one of the largest food distribution hubs in the United States. At a later stage, the trucks are expected to use a freight-oriented public charging hub being developed by MN8 Energy at the same location. The hub is planned to include 32 DC fast chargers, including bays suitable for heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, as well as 10 Level 2 chargers, with commissioning targeted for 2029.
The Bronx is Breathing initiative is designed as a scalable model for commercial vehicle electrification in areas with intense truck traffic. The Hunts Point peninsula alone accounts for more than 15,000 truck movements on a typical working day. Project partners state that replacing diesel vehicles with battery-electric trucks in such environments can deliver measurable reductions in local air pollutants and noise.
“City Harvest rescues and delivers millions of pounds of food to New Yorkers every year. We are proud that these new electric trucks will support that crucial mission with cleaner, quieter operations,” said Keith Brandis, Head of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, North America, Volvo Group’s Trucks Technology & Industrial Division. “The Bronx is Breathing initiative shows how targeted infrastructure investment and community partnerships can accelerate the adoption of electric trucks in dense urban freight environments.”
“NYSERDA’s support of the Bronx is Breathing project will help City Harvest transition from diesel to zero-emission delivery trucks, reducing noise and improving air quality for South Bronx residents,” added NYSERDA Senior Vice President of Integrated Energy Solutions David Sandbank.
City Harvest’s trucks form part of a wider eight-vehicle electric deployment supported by Volvo Group under the initiative, covering food distribution, waste services and local deliveries. The organisation rescues and distributes more than 86 million pounds of food each year, according to the organisation.
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