The Bronx will be breathing a little easier with new Volvo VNR Electric [update] — SkimNews
![The Bronx will be breathing a little easier with new Volvo VNR Electric [update]](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/02/city-harvest_VNR.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1600)
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- City Harvest purchased three zero-emission Volvo VNR Electric semi trucks equipped with battery-electric transport refrigeration units, enabling true zero-tailpipe emissions during food rescue operations across all five NYC boroughs as part of the Bronx is Breathing initiative.
- The acquisition was backed by a $10 million award from the New York Clean Transportation Prizes program, an initiative designed to reduce noise and air pollution in South Bronx neighborhoods bordering one of the nation's busiest freight corridors.
- The Volvo VNR Electric trucks, in City Harvest's daycab configuration, feature a 565 kWh battery pack, a 340 kW (~450 hp) electric motor producing more than 4,000 lb-ft of torque, and can haul up to ~82,000 lbs of combined vehicle weight up to 275 miles on a single charge.
- MN8 Energy is developing a freight-focused public charging hub at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center with 32 DC fast chargers (including Class 8 stalls) and 10 Level-2 chargers, slated to become operational in 2029.
- The three City Harvest trucks are part of a broader eight-vehicle Volvo Group deployment funded through the same state program, intended to move more than 250,000 lbs of food per day through distribution, waste operations, and local deliveries.
- City Harvest, Volvo Trucks North America, and Bronx is Breathing are hosting an exclusive ride-along event at the Fulton Fish Market Cooperative on Thursday, September 24th.
Why it matters: The Bronx — which borders one of the nation's busiest freight corridors — stands to gain immediate air-quality and noise relief as City Harvest's fleet goes zero-emission, with three trucks out of a planned eight-truck statewide rollout already funded by a $10 million state prize. Volvo's deployment also serves as a real-world proof point that Class 8 electric semis can handle urban food logistics on a 275-mile single-charge range, potentially accelerating fleet electrification in dense freight environments.
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