New York’s noisy food carts go electric in clean air trial

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, July 26, 2026

A group of New York City street food vendors, including William Arevalo in Queens, are participating in a pilot program testing battery-powered electric systems to replace traditional petrol generators. If widely adopted, this initiative could significantly reduce pollution in the city’s food cart sector, which is equivalent to removing about 30,000 cars from the road annually, though challenges remain around cost and infrastructure.

In a push to reduce noise and air pollution in New York City, a group of street food vendors has begun testing electric power systems to replace traditional petrol generators. Among them is William Arevalo, a vendor in Queens whose food cart—offering hot dogs, empanadas, and fried shrimp—now operates entirely on rechargeable batteries as part of a six-month pilot program launched in July.

Arevalo, whose family has operated the food truck for more than two decades, described the transition as a significant improvement. He noted that the previous petrol generator often emitted smoke inside the cart, posing health risks and drowning out conversations with customers. Since switching to batteries, Arevalo reported a quieter and healthier working environment, with the added benefit of greater reliability during hot summer days when fuel generators can overheat.

The pilot involves 10 vendors testing battery-powered inverters capable of running stoves, freezers, and ventilators. Each inverter supports up to six foot-long batteries similar to those used in electric bicycles. Vendors swap out batteries approximately every five hours, with charging and storage handled through fire-resistant lockers located nearby and supplied by PopWheels, a local startup.

New York’s food cart sector, comprised of about 20,500 licensed units citywide, largely depends on petrol generators to power their operations. Transitioning these carts to electric power, according to city council estimates, could have an environmental impact equivalent to removing roughly 30,000 cars from the road annually. However, the initiative faces challenges related to cost and infrastructure.

Previous attempts to reduce emissions among street vendors included a 2013 effort to connect carts to the city power grid and a nonprofit-led initiative distributing batteries, but both faced scalability or infrastructure hurdles. This current pilot aims to address those issues with plans for a subscription-based system where vendors pay a fee to access battery charging stations and swapping services.

Isabela Brown, a senior policy advisor at the mayor’s climate office, said the city expects this model to be cost-competitive, potentially matching or lowering current generator expenses. She noted that most vendors’ upfront investment would be in acquiring the inverter system, which can cost several thousand dollars, similar to petrol generators, but could result in lower operating costs over time. The city is exploring financial assistance options, including loans, to ease the transition.

For Arevalo, the program’s benefits extend beyond cost and environmental factors. “I show my friends and they’re surprised. Everything is working, it’s really all working,” he said, highlighting the potential for broader adoption among New York’s street food community.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.