FDNY utilizes Stealth Power's idle reduction technology to reduce its ambulance fleet's environmental impact and operational costs.
By: Devin Scott, Stealth Power CEO
Two of the most talked-about topics for any organization, whether public or private, are sustainability and expenses. At Stealth Power, we look at them together. When you see the overall effects of climate change – including extreme weather, warming seas, urban air quality and the economic costs associated with each – sustainability and expenses overlap. Said another way, to combat climate change is to battle rising costs for any organization. We know that the biggest source emitters of greenhouse gas emissions are cars and trucks. Therefore, any reduction in the time your engine runs not only reduces overall vehicle costs, but also improves the air quality in your community due to the reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted. And with Microsoft as a partner, we are able to collect and communicate real-time analytics on the entire fleet, allowing FDNY to know the operational status of each of its ambulances.
Many organizations are looking at ways to improve their sustainability, but few are as forward-thinking as the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). FDNY has always been a leader in utilizing technology to improve capability and safety. To this end, they look for innovative technologies that can improve functionality while at the same time reducing costs and emissions. So when FDNY leadership looked at ways they could maintain and even improve capability with its truck engines turned off, they reached out to us to learn what we were doing to “hybridize” engines in other industries. We quickly formed a great relationship.
Since the beginning of this relationship in 2015, FDNY leadership has continued to push for improvements and has been instrumental in the development of a reliable technology that allows an operator to turn off their vehicle’s engine while maintaining its full capability. With our idle mitigation technology integrated into FDNY vehicles, they are able to run the lights, radios, laptops, heat, air condition and refrigerator while the engine is off, resulting in:
- Reduced emissions, improving community air quality and operator work environment
- Reduced short term and long term costs for their department, the city and the taxpayers of NYC.
- Reduced downtime for the vehicle fleet resulting in more vehicles available to perform their critical missions
FDNY now has over 300 vehicles with this capability and is adding another 76 trucks equipped with Stealth Power. We are honored to continue our partnership with FDNY. We need more innovative leaders like FDNY to make long term, significant effects not only on climate change but also on the economics of its impact.
