Street Vendor Electrification Initiative

Summary

In 2025, the Street Vendor Project (SVP) committed to launching the Street Vendors Electrification Initiative, a two-year pilot program that will connect 20 vendors to the New York City energy grid and enable them to transition from fossil-fuel to battery-powered generators. Participating vendors will be provided swappable, rechargeable batteries to power their carts and access to a charging station. SVP will work with local government officials and other stakeholders to create a blueprint for scaling vendor electrification, which would eliminate 913,665,000 grams of nitrous oxide; 29,395,000 pounds of carbon monoxide and 641,500 grams of particulate matter each year in New York City alone. SVP will also conduct a robust outreach campaign to 1,500 vendors in seven languages to raise awareness about the hazards of gasoline generators and assist in scaling clean-energy alternatives. Fernhay Solutions, the technology company that equipped the city’s Department of Transportation’s successful e-bike charging pilot, has created a swappable battery prototype for vending carts for this pilot.

Approach

SVP commits to launching a two-year pilot program, the Street Vendors Electrification Initiative, that will connect 20 vendors in New York City to the energy grid, enabling them to transition from fossil-fuel to battery-powered generators. Participating vendors will power their carts with swappable, rechargeable batteries and have access to a charging station where they can charge extra batteries around the clock, eliminating the need to transport batteries.
Based on the findings of this pilot, SVP will work with city officials and other stakeholders to create an equitable blueprint for scaling vendor electrification, which, if adopted citywide, could eliminate 913,665,000 grams NoX, 29,395,000 pounds CO, and 641,500 grams PM each year in NYC alone. Every generator eliminated removes the equivalent CO produced by 45 cars annually (Energy Vision) . The blueprint would also serve as a model for other cities working to reduce the environmental footprint and health hazards of the vending industry.
SVP will conduct a robust outreach campaign to 1,500 vendors in seven languages to raise awareness about the hazards of gasoline generators and assist in scaling clean-energy alternatives. SVP has 24 years of trust built in NYC’s diverse vending communities, and the staff speak Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Bangla, Wolof, French, and English. Since 2021, SVP has been building relationships with a broad coalition of public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders committed to finding collaborative solutions to address the environmental hazards facing vendors.
Fernhay Solutions, the technology company that built the batteries and infrastructure for NYC Department of Transportation’s successful e-bike charging pilot, has created a swappable battery prototype for vending carts that they will provide for this pilot. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and representatives at Mayor’s Office will support SVP in facilitating conversations with City agencies and other stakeholders to support implementation.

Action Plan

SVP will implement the following steps to achieve each listed program objective:
Vendor Surveying
SVP will conduct assessments of 60 vendors’ individual electricity needs (30 in Year 1 and 30 in Year 2) to better understand what technology vendors require, identify support necessary to encourage and assist a just transition from generators, and inform recommendations for citywide scaling of electrification.
Swappable Battery Pilot Program
Year 1: SVP will engage key partners and other stakeholders to create a viable plan to electrify 20 vending carts and trucks in two specific vendor hubs using swappable batteries and access to a charging station connected to the grid.
Year 2: SVP will operationalize actual electrification efforts and engage vendors and stakeholders to evaluate program’s effectiveness and provide recommendations for scaling.
Outreach and Education
SVP will engage 150-200 vendors each quarter through multilingual outreach and education.
Blueprint to Scale Electrification
SVP will conduct quarterly coalition meetings, bringing together vendors and other stakeholders including nonprofits, battery manufacturers, government officials, technical experts, and City agencies, to strategize around the implementation of equitable, sustainable vending technology.
By the end of Year 2, SVP will create a viable blueprint to scale vending electrification on a citywide scale, centering the needs of vendors.

Background

There are approximately 20,500 street food vendors in New York City (Immigration Research Initiative, 2024) . 96% are immigrants, 98% are people of color, and 50% are women. Vendors work long days, year-round in all weather conditions. However, many see vending as a low-barrier opportunity to start their own business and earn a livelihood.
Vendors are chronically exposed to high levels of air pollution, including the fumes from their own power and cooking equipment. The gasoline-powered generators used to power food carts are not regulated for emission controls and release harmful pollutants like particulate matter (PM2.5) , carbon monoxide (CO) , and nitrous oxide (NOx) . For example, a December 2024 NYU Wagner School study found that operating a generator for one hour created the same CO as driving a car 234 miles and the same NOx as driving a car for 133 miles. Depending on ventilation, generator condition, and exposure time, the pollutants often rise above OSHA’s permissible exposure limits and vendors face illness, long-term cardiovascular and respiratory complications, and even risk of death. Yet vendors lack clear and affordable alternatives.
The Street Vendor Project (SVP) is a membership-based organization that champions the rights of vendors as small businesses to contribute to the life and culture of New York City. Since 2021, SVP has engaged vendors and other stakeholders in a collaborative effort to identify, test, and evaluate battery-powered vending technology and anticipate barriers to scalability and adoption through a process that centers vendors’ needs. Now, SVP is ready to build on the findings of this research to launch a Street Vendor Electrification initiative.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to transitioning to battery powered generators. While individual batteries work for vendors with relatively low electricity needs, they are not practical for vendors who work very long hours or have large carts and trucks.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

SVP is seeking program funding, increased government support and leadership, and partners to create financial incentive programs to enable vendors to transition to clean technology.,SVP will offer a scalable blueprint for street vendor electrification in New York City that can be replicated by other cities to reduce the carbon footprint of food carts and trucks and support vendor health.