On Wednesday, New York City announced it has ordered 184 fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-Es for use by law enforcement and emergency response workers. The vehicles are set to be delivered by June 2022, as part of an $11.5 million contract that will remain in place for five years.
The city said the Mach-Es would be used by the New York Police Department, New York City’s Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Correction, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Protection, and other emergency management and response departments.
New York City plans to buy over 1,250 electric vehicles in 2022, transitioning all law enforcement vehicles to electric ones by 2035.
“Law enforcement vehicles are the largest and most visible part of our City’s fleet,” Keith Kerman, NYC chief fleet officer, said in a Wednesday statement. “This order of all-electric Mach-Es will enable our law enforcement agencies to put electric models to the full test and work out maintenance, lights and sirens, charging, and other operational issues. It is a critical step towards our goal of a fully electric fleet.”
This year was set to be a huge year for EVs, but many automakers have struggled to scale production. The Mach-E had its own shaky rollout in March, and Ford was forced to delay deliveries to some 4,500 customers.
New York’s order is part of a broader push to integrate electric vehicles into government fleets. In January, Biden said that his administration would work to phase out the government’s use of gas-powered vehicles in its fleet of more than 600,00 vehicles. Earlier this year, President Biden signed a historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill that invested billions into building a network of electric vehicle chargers across the country.
“Every single City vehicle we electrify is one step forward to advance clean air and a climate-friendly New York City,” said Ben Furnas, head of the mayor’s office on climate.