For Immediate Release
April 22, 2022
Contact: Press.Office@Suffolkcountyny.gov
County Receives First Two Electric Vehicle, Nissan Leafs
County Plans to Partner with Local Libraries and Municipalities to Expand Countywide Charging Capabilities
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced a $12 million County investment for both the purchase of electric vehicles and the necessary charging infrastructure to advance the County’s plan to transition to a fully electric vehicle (EV) fleet by 2030. These critical investments will help reduce harmful emissions, strengthen infrastructure and help mitigate risks posed by climate change to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for residents. The County also received its first electric vehicles, two Nissan Leafs.
Additionally, County Executive Bellone announced plans to partner with local libraries and municipalities to expand Countywide charging capabilities. Lindenhurst Memorial Library, a member of the County’s Shared Services plan, SuffolkShare, has installed EV charging stations at its location that are available to the public. The County is working on a partnership with the library, which would include a pilot charge-sharing agreement that would allow the County to utilize the charging stations as it builds out its own EV charging infrastructure at various county locations.
“It is our job on the local level to ensure we are leading the way and doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint and harmful emissions from transportation to create a cleaner, healthier environment for our residents,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “This funding for both the purchase of electric vehicles and the necessary charging infrastructure will help Suffolk achieve its goals of a clean, zero-emissions fleet by 2030.”
Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey said: “Suffolk County is committed to making sure that we leave our children and grandchildren the most precious natural resources that we inherited from our parents and grandparents. That is why government has an obligation to lead the way with important initiatives such as clean energy. The bipartisan work we do today will ensure a better tomorrow for the next generations.”
Legislator Nick Caracappa said: “As Majority Leader and Chair of the Legislature’s Public Works, Transportation and Energy Committee it is imperative that Suffolk County takes the lead and embraces clean energy technology and provides critical investments in its implementation at all levels. I commend County Executive Bellone for his foresight and leadership on this initiative.”
The County Executive will include $8.5 million over the course of three years for the necessary electric vehicle infrastructure in his upcoming proposed capital budget, and $3.5 million over three years to fund the purchase and lease of electric vehicles.
The $8.5 million in funding will be used to advance the first phase of construction to establish electric vehicle services at four major County Complexes including Yaphank, the Riverhead County Complex, the North County Complex, and the H. Lee Dennison Building. The project includes EV charging equipment, electrical upgrades and other infrastructure needed to support the County’s growing EV fleet.
Through the County’s shared services plan Suffolk Share, the County is partnering with Counties in the state including Nassau County, Westchester County, Albany County, as well as local Suffolk County municipalities to share info and procure electric vehicles, ultimately combining purchasing power to save taxpayer dollars. Suffolk County has determined it could initially support 40 electric vehicles in its first phase of deployment,
In May, similar to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone signed an Executive Order that directed the Department of Public Works to develop a plan to convert the County’s vehicle fleet to electric by 2030.
The Electric Fleet Implementation report serves as a blueprint for how Suffolk County will move forward to procure a 100% green fleet. The move towards a fully electrified fleet is part of the County’s ongoing commitment to investing in efforts to counter climate change effects by reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution. The use of electric vehicles in lieu of vehicles that run solely off of fossil fuels is critical to the County’s effort. The Suffolk County Department of Public Works presented the plan at the American Academy of Science’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) 101st Annual Meeting in Washington in January.
While electric vehicles are a newer technology, the report outlines the clear benefits of electric vehicles, including significantly lower operating and maintenance costs, elimination of harmful tailpipe emissions, greatly reduced greenhouse gases, and cleaner roadways and parking lots for reduced contamination runoff.
To help ensure fleet electrification by 2030, the County identified seven focus areas to eliminate barriers to adoption and bring about transformative change. The areas include Phased Deployment of EVs, both updated and new Fleet Policies and Procedures, Right Sizing the County Fleet, Right Sizing County Facilities to meet charging and infrastructure needs, Partnership with Utility Companies, Leveraging Incentives to Promote Equitable, Affordable EV Adoption, and Shared Services and Procurement similar to today’s partnership with Westchester.
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