During New York City Climate Week, Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr and New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched "Hertz Electrifies New York City," a public-private partnership aimed at increasing electric vehicle (EV) adoption and extending the environmental and economic benefits of electrification across neighborhoods, Hertz said in a news release.
Through the initiative, Hertz intends to add up to 1,700 rental EVs to its local fleet, create 100 new jobs to serve its growing New York presence, and partner with four public high schools to create EV education and training opportunities for students. The partnership also includes the donation of five EVs from Hertz's fleet to help New York City schools provide hands-on training to the next generation of auto technicians.
"Hertz Electrifies New York City" builds on Adams' efforts to make vehicles in the city more sustainable. The administration is rapidly transitioning the city fleet to electric vehicles and building the necessary infrastructure to support that transition, while setting a new national standard by requiring rideshare vehicle companies to be completely zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible by 2030 and pursuing a broader agenda to promote driving electric across the city.
As part of Hertz Electrifies New York City, Hertz is partnering with and donating EVs to A-Tech High School in Brooklyn, Thomas Edison Career and Technical Education High School in Queens, Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School in the Bronx and Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School on Staten Island.
Additionally, Hertz is sharing telematic insights from its fleet of connected cars to assist the city in planning for additional public charging infrastructure across all neighborhoods through its Hertz Charging Opportunity Index.
As the mayor's EV initiatives are implemented, Hertz will continue making its EV fleet available to rideshare drivers in New York City. To date, more than 50,000 rideshare drivers across the country have rented EVs from Hertz, logging more than 260 million electric miles.
New York is the fifth and largest city to partner with Hertz through Hertz Electrifies.
Abby Andrews