June 3, 2021

Guests Discuss the City’s Plans for an All-Electric Fleet and Supporting Public Use of Electric Vehicles

NEW YORK – The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) today announced the release of the second episode of its Inside Citywide podcast. The conversation focuses on electric vehicle adoption in New York City and how electric vehicles will play an important role in confronting climate change. The guests are DCAS Deputy Commissioner Keith Kerman, who serves as the Chief Fleet Officer for the City of New York, and Jen Roberton, Senior Transportation Policy Advisor for the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability. The guests discuss the City of New York’s roadmap for achieving an all-electric municipal vehicle fleet by 2040 and supporting public adoption of electric vehicles in New York City.

The Inside Citywide podcastoffers a behind-the-scenes look at New York City government, what it does, and the public servants who make it happen. The podcast is co-hosted by Nick Benson, Director of Communications for DCAS, and Belinda French, Diversity & EEO Officer for DCAS.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and BuzzSprout.

Guest Bios

Keith Kerman NYC Chief Fleet Officer and DCAS Deputy Commissioner for Fleet Management

Keith Todd Kerman is the Deputy Commissioner for Fleet Management and New York City’s first Chief Fleet Officer. Keith is responsible for the largest municipal fleet in the United States with 30,000 vehicles, 80,000 fleet operators, and more than 2,000 employees engaged in fleet operations. Kerman manages inter-agency shared fleet services in partnership with major fleet agencies including the Police, Fire, Sanitation, Parks, and Transportation departments.

Kerman implements Mayor de Blasio’s NYC Clean Fleet initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2025. The City has one of the greenest fleets in the nation with nearly 20,000 vehicles operating on some type of alternative fuel. NYC has the largest EV fleet and charging network in NY State. Kerman is also a lead focusing on fleet safety for Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate City traffic fatalities.

Kerman is starting his 28th year of public service, having served more than 17 years with New York City Parks, most recently as Assistant Commissioner for Citywide Operations. He is a graduate of Harvard College and a recipient of the 2019 Sloan Public Service Award, NY’s highest recognition for career public servants.

Jen Roberton Senior Transportation Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability

Jen Roberton is a Senior Transportation Policy Advisor at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, which puts forward policies, programs and legislation that reduces the pollution that worsens the impacts of climate change. Jen’s work on transportation aims to eliminate the pollution that comes from tailpipes by identifying funding for electric vehicle charging for New Yorkers to use as well as conducting research on the best policies and regulation to reduce our reliance on vehicles altogether. Jen holds a Master in Planning from the University of British Columbia and is certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

About the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) provides effective shared services to support the operations of New York City government. Its commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides its work with city agencies on recruiting, hiring, and training employees; providing facilities management for 56 public buildings; acquiring, selling, and leasing city property; purchasing more than $1 billion in supplies and equipment each year; and implementing conservation and safety programs throughout the city's facilities and vehicle fleet. More information about DCAS can be found at nyc.gov/dcas or by following us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and listening to the Inside Citywide podcast.