City Harvest has added three Volvo VNR Electric trucks to its New York City food rescue fleet, replacing three diesel vehicles as the nonprofit expands operations in the Bronx and across all five boroughs.
The trucks, which were handed over Sept. 24 at the Fulton Fish Market Cooperative in Hunts Point, are part of the Bronx Is Breathing: Reimagining a Cleaner Hunts Point initiative.
Each Volvo VNR Electric is equipped with a battery-electric transport refrigeration unit, allowing both the truck and its refrigeration system to operate with zero tailpipe emissions.
City Harvest plans to use the vehicles to rescue and deliver food throughout New York City, including in the Bronx, where the organization expects to increase the amount of food it provides by 25% this year.
“City Harvest rescues and delivers millions of pounds of food to New Yorkers in need 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 project shows how targeted infrastructure investment and community partnerships can accelerate the adoption of electric trucks in dense urban freight environments.”
The deployment brings battery-electric trucks into one of New York City’s busiest freight areas. Hunts Point sees more than 15,000 truck trips on an average workday, while approximately 12% of all food distributed to New York City comes through the Food Distribution Center.
City Harvest is also preparing to expand its broader food rescue operations. The nonprofit plans to rescue 100 million pounds of food that would otherwise go to waste this year and deliver it to food pantries, soup kitchens and other community programs across the city.
“City Harvest helped start the food rescue movement more than 40 years ago, and we are excited to now bring these innovative new trucks to the streets of New York City,” said Jilly Stephens, CEO, City Harvest. “These trucks will support our work providing as much food as possible for New Yorkers in as sustainable a way as possible, at a time of critically high need in our city. By generously providing these electric trucks, Volvo and the Bronx is Breathing initiative enable City Harvest to further our environmental impact and to better serve the Bronx and our city.”
The trucks will initially charge at a new installation at the Fulton Fish Market Cooperative within the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center.
Charging is expected to later move to a freight-focused public charging hub that MN8 Energy is developing at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center. The facility is planned with 32 DC fast chargers, including stalls designed for heavy-duty Class 8 trucks, along with 10 Level 2 chargers. It is expected to become operational in 2029.
The trucks are supported through a $10 million award from the New York Clean Transportation Prizes program. The program is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in partnership with the New York State Department of Public Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Bronx Is Breathing initiative brings together community and environmental organizations working to reduce truck emissions in Hunts Point while expanding economic opportunities in the South Bronx.
“Transitioning medium- and heavy-duty fleets to cleaner technologies is one of the most important opportunities we have to reduce transportation emissions in New York City,” said Joy Gardner, Executive Director, Empire Clean Cities. “Through the Bronx Is Breathing, we’re demonstrating that these technologies can work in demanding, real-world operations — and we’re especially proud to do that alongside a mission-driven nonprofit like City Harvest.”
