Implementation Phases

Transition light vehicles. The municipality should purchase only EVs for light duty vehicles in its fleet to assure that all are EVs by 2030

Transition heavy vehicles. The municipality should develop a phase out plan so that all vehicles will be electric by 2050.

Challenges

Electric power infrastructure must be planned, paid for and installed prior to or concurrent with the purchase and operation of EV fleets. Large-scale “make ready” installations must be coordinated with the local power utility (National Grid in the case of the Capital District), which may have a different timeframe preference than the purchasing jurisdiction. 

Heavy duty EVs are developed and introduced to market later than light duty EVs, lagging by several years with increasing lags the heavier the category, resulting in fewer models available and less market knowledge. 

Heavy duty vehicles are also more expensive, presenting increased financial risk for early adopters.

Example Municipalities

Several municipalities have already implemented this action… 

• New York City intends to have a 100% EV fleet by 2040 in its many aims preparing for a carbon-zero world and sustainable development
• Numerous cities such as Tacoma, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston have already begun to transition their city vehicles to EV’s

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction

Data

Vehicle fleet in Bethlehem, NY municipal government: 1631 metric tons CO2e per year [Bethlehem 2010 Government GHG Emission, table 3]

GHG emission reduction when switching from gas car to Electric Vehicle: 50% [Electric Vehicles, Emissions and Fuel Economy] 

Methodology

We calculated the:

1. CO2 emission reduction when government fleet vehicles switch from gas vehicle to electric vehicle.

Results

820 metric tons of CO2e is reduced per year by switching government fleet vehicles from gas to electric.

This results in MODERATE GHG emissions reductions.

Climate Smart Communities (CSC) & Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Link

Transitioning municipal fleets to EVs is well-supported in the CSC and CEC programs, and municipalities are encouraged to follow a specific process to take advantage of available points and competitive funding: 

CSC Actions:

1. Complete a formal inventory as per CSC’s PE3 Action: Fleet Inventory – 4 points available;
2. Develop a formal fleet efficiency policy as per SCS’s PE3 Action: Fleet Efficiency Policy – 2-3 points available;
3. Carry out a fleet rightsizing initiative as per CSC’s PE3 Action: Fleet Rightsizing – 1-3 points available; and
4. Replace vehicles with advanced vehicles as per CSC’s PE3 Action: Advanced Vehicles – 2-10 points available.
5. Municipalities that show GHG reductions in their fleet from a recorded baseline as a result of these CSC actions can earn 15-45 additional points through CSC’s 12-Performance Measure: Reduce GHGs from Government Vehicles.

CEC Actions:

• Municipalities can also earn 300-400 CEC points through CEC’s Clean Fleets high impact action — 300 points for transitioning light/medium duty vehicles to EV, and 400 points for transitioning heavy duty vehicles. 

Co-benefits

There are multiple co-benefits to completing this action, including:

• Economic savings over vehicles’ useful life.
• Quieter streets.
• Improves air quality.
• Sets an example for residents and encourages accelerated transition to electric vehicles.