During New York City Climate Week, Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) CEO Stephen Scherr and New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled “Hertz Electrifies New York City,” a collaborative effort aimed at bolstering electric vehicle (EV) adoption and extending the benefits of electrification across the city’s neighborhoods.
As part of this initiative, Hertz plans to introduce up to 1,700 rental EVs to its local fleet, generate 100 new job opportunities in the New York area, and collaborate with four public high schools to establish educational and training programs centered around EVs. Additionally, Hertz will donate five EVs from its fleet to assist New York City schools in providing hands-on training for future auto technicians.
Stephen Scherr, Chair and CEO of Hertz, expressed the company’s commitment, stating, “Hertz is investing in the largest EV rental fleet in North America. New York City has always been on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, making it a natural accelerator for the most significant transformation that’s happened in the auto industry in a century. We are excited to partner with Mayor Adams to launch Hertz Electrifies during Climate Week, helping to make the electric driving experience more accessible in New York City while investing in the city’s workforce.”
The “Hertz Electrifies New York City” initiative aligns with Mayor Adams’ vision to enhance the sustainability of vehicles in the city. His administration is rapidly transitioning the city fleet to electric vehicles, expanding the necessary infrastructure, and setting new standards for rideshare vehicle companies to become zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible by 2030.
Mayor Eric Adams stated, “New York City is in the driver’s seat as we accelerate towards our clean, green, electric future, and public-private partnerships, like what we’re announcing today with Hertz, will help us get there because to successfully transition New York City to electric vehicles and properly fight climate change, everyone must come along for the ride — from the public to the private sector.”
As part of “Hertz Electrifies New York City,” Hertz will collaborate with and donate electric vehicles to several high schools, including 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.
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright emphasized the partnership’s significance, saying, “Creating a better and more eco-friendly environment requires more than a singular change. Through this partnership, not only are we building a cleaner city by introducing more electric vehicles to New York City, but we are also preparing for the future by training the next generation of a green economy workforce.”
Hertz will also provide telematic data from its connected cars to help the city plan additional public charging infrastructure across all neighborhoods using its Hertz Charging Opportunity Index.
Hertz will continue to make its EV fleet available to rideshare drivers in New York City as the Mayor’s EV initiatives progress. To date, over 50,000 rideshare drivers across the country have rented EVs from Hertz, accumulating more than 260 million electric miles.
In partnership with bp, Hertz plans to launch bp pulse fast charging hubs in New York City, starting with midtown Manhattan. These hubs will feature ultra-fast chargers designed to serve Hertz customers, taxi and ride-share drivers, and the public.
New York City aims to cut transportation emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero transportation emissions by 2050. These efforts include ensuring no New Yorker is more than 2.5 miles from an electric vehicle fast-charging hub, requiring parking facilities to offer charging options, and making all rideshare vehicles zero-emission or wheelchair accessible by 2030.
Hertz’s collaboration with New York City is a significant step towards a greener and more sustainable transportation future, aligning with Mayor Adams’ commitment to “Getting Sustainability Done.” The city has already replaced nearly 4,500 fossil-fuel powered vehicles with electric ones and operates its own 1,700-port electric vehicle charging network.
DOE Chancellor David C. Banks highlighted the importance of education in this endeavor, stating, “There’s no better way to ensure that we see the return on that investment than to have our students trained on the importance of electric vehicles. Not only are we setting our children up with bold futures in emerging industries, but we are teaching them to use innovation to create a better tomorrow for everyone.”
New York City becomes the fifth and largest city to partner with Hertz through Hertz Electrifies, driving consumer adoption of electric vehicles and bringing environmental and economic benefits to communities across the country.