New York City is charging ahead with a groundbreaking project that could change how freight moves through one of its busiest industrial hubs. Officials have unveiled plans for the city's first community-driven, freight-focused electric vehicle charging depot, which will be paired with a welcome center and workforce development hub in Hunts Point in the South Bronx.
The project, led by NYC-based MN8 Energy and announced by the New York City Economic Development Corp., will bring more than 40 light-, medium-, and heavy-duty EV charging stations to the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, one of the largest in the world.
The development will also include 10,000 square feet of indoor space dedicated to shared community areas, commercial businesses, and job training programs. The goal is to cut pollution from diesel trucks, improve air quality, and create new "green collar" jobs where they're needed most.
"For decades, the Hunts Point community has been unjustly oversaturated by air pollution due to truck traffic," Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson said. Swapping diesel engines for clean EVs could greatly reduce harmful air pollution, helping improve the public's respiratory health and lowering noise pollution. And by modernizing freight transport, the project could lower operational costs for businesses, savings that may reach consumers.
"This isn't just about charging trucks — it's about creating opportunity and jobs, improving air quality, and building a more equitable clean energy future," said Alan Dowdell, head of distributed energy solutions at MN8 Energy. Elijah Hutchinson, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, called the effort a "shining example" of how environmental justice and economic development can go hand in hand.
The initiative also builds on the Bronx Is Breathing program, which recently rolled out the city's first electric refuse truck. Similar clean-tech solutions — such as Sysco's adding electric freight trucks to its fleet and NineDot's clean energy projects in Brooklyn — are already proving that cleaner infrastructure can be good for both quality of life and business.
"When we talk about improving quality of life for generations of New Yorkers to come, you only have to look at what's happening in Hunts Point as a shining example of what's possible in neighborhoods around the city," Hutchinson added.
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