NYPA and Canal Corporation Donate 13 Retired Fleet Hybrid and Fully Electric Vehicles to Support Clean Energy Workforce Training Across State

For Immediate Release: 11/18/22

Contact: Lynne Smith | lynne.smith@nypa.gov | (914) 346-4656

Program to Prepare Young People in Underserved Communities for New Clean Energy Career Opportunities as New York Increases its Reliance on EVs

Focus on Green Energy Future Illustrates New York State’s Continuing Commitment to Advancing its Nation-leading Climate and Energy Goals

See Photos from Alfred E. Smith CTE High School Here and Here

 

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Canal Corporation announced today the donation of 13 retired hybrid and fully electric fleet vehicles for use in regional automotive training programs throughout New York State. Donations will enable young people in underserved communities to explore new career opportunities associated with the increasing electrification of vehicles in New York State. NYPA Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll today announced the donation of a 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid through NYPA’s Environmental Justice department at the Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School in the South Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx. Superintendent Richard Cintron, Principal Evan Schwartz, Dr. Lester W. Young, chancellor of the Board of Regents, and State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa joined in the ribbon-cutting.

 

“New York State’s transition to zero-emission vehicles opens new career paths in our increasingly highly skilled clean energy workforce and we are thrilled to give students the opportunity to develop new sought-after expertise in order to compete in the clean energy economy,” Driscoll said. “These retired vehicles from NYPA and Canal Corporation fleets will serve as a practical resource for automotive technicians in maintenance and repair training programs in disadvantaged communities near our assets and ensure a solid, replicable curriculum can be used throughout the state.”

 

Today’s announcement builds on Governor Kathy Hochul’s signing of new legislation in September to further advance the transition to clean electric vehicles and reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Through that effort, the Governor set a goal for all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York State to be zero-emissions by 2035.

 

NYPA’s Fleet Donation Program is designed to educate the next generation of automotive technicians during the transition to electric vehicles (EV) and ensure the incorporation of hybrid and fully electric vehicle technology within career technical education (CTE) programs in New York State. The program also supports the State’s ambitious climate goals through empowering more current and future workers to enter the green energy workforce.

" The Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School is excited to accept this donation of a hybrid car from the New York Power Authority,” said Principal Evan Schwartz. “It will be a great addition to our new state-of-the-art auto body shop and provide a practical tool for learning about new green technologies.  We hope that this is just the beginning of a long relationship that will further benefit students who are building their lives toward a bright future."

Last year, NYPA launched a pilot program by donating three hybrid and fully electric vehicles that could no longer be used for state transport to Boards of Cooperative Education Centers (BOCES) institutions across the state for use in their automotive technical training classes. The vehicles went to BOCES programs that serve communities in Albany, Massena and Niagara. NYPA worked with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to secure funding for safety tools, equipment and level 2 chargers for each shop, along with funding for a best-in-class hybrid and EV curriculum to be shared amongst all donation recipients in the present and future.   

 

More than a dozen more vehicles will be transferred this month to the following regional BOCES and CTE programs located near NYPA or Canal Corporation sites: A-Tech High School in Brooklyn; Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES; McKee CTE High School; Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES; Southern Westchester BOCES; Hamilton Fulton Montgomery BOCES; Hudson Valley Community College; Questar III BOCES in the Capital Region; Monroe 1 BOCES; Ulster BOCES; Franklin County BOCES; and Bronx Community College. Per NYPA policy, the donated vehicles would previously have been sold at auction after five years or 75,000 miles of service were it not for this new program.

Automobile manufacturers have made a commitment to increasing production of electric vehicles in the domestic market and the demand for technicians who can service these vehicles will increase as well.  NYPA’s Fleet Donation Program will provide opportunities to learn the technology and help fill the workforce development pipeline with career-ready employees. The addition of EVs and hybrid vehicles to the institution’s curriculum will also allow those institutions to provide additional specialized certifications to students.  

 

“The NYPA and Canal Corporation Fleet Donation Program supports the education of the next generation of automotive technicians and engineers by providing practical tools to help them learn the maintenance and repair skills that will be required in the future,” said Lisa Payne Wansley, vice president of NYPA Environmental Justice. “New York State is committed to leveling the playing field so historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities located near our facilities can benefit equally from the transition to a clean energy workforce.”

Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “It is essential that our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs evolve to keep pace with new and emerging technology so our students can meet their educational goals and find success in their chosen career fields. I am grateful for our partnership with NYPA and the exponential growth of this program to bring high-quality, project-based learning with real world experience to our students.”  

State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Because of generous donations by NYPA, New York’s CTE programs can provide students with unique opportunities to gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge automotive technology. Greener, more sustainable business innovation has increased the need for 21st century skills, and this program helps put our students in the driver’s seats to more successful futures.”

Through NYPA’s EVolve NY electric vehicle charging infrastructure initiative, the Authority has installed more than 100 fast chargers in a statewide network to encourage drivers to opt for electric transportation. Charging infrastructure is also being constructed across the state by NYPA to help public transit companies electrify their bus fleets. The idea to donate retired vehicles came from a suggestion in an employee innovation contest in 2019.

 

For more information on the fleet donation program and other NYPA Environmental Justice initiatives, contact environmentaljustice@nypa.gov.

 

 

  

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $21 billion in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2019, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

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