What Happened?
A recent study found Houston will save $110,000 annually by switching its municipal vehicles to electric cars, while Loveland, Colorado, will enjoy a 41 percent reduction in purchase and operating costs with a similar move. The cars offered the cities environmental benefits, but proved to also reduce fuel and maintenance costs overtime for additional perks.
The Goal
Both cities were faced with rising fuel costs amid tight budgets. Loveland and Houston added e-vehicles to their municipal fleets for environmental and fuel-related benefits. After experiencing significant savings, both cities have opted to add more to the fleets as well as a car-sharing program to provide public employees with easy access to eco-friendly cars for short trips.
According to case studies on both cities conducted by the Electrification Coalition, adding electric vehicles to municipal fleets not only saves cities money but also lowers the nation’s dependence on foreign oil as a main energy source. Some of the lessons and best practices learned from both cities’ experiences include:
- Total cost of ownership of the electric vehicles was increased when managed under a single office
- Car-sharing programs accelerated acceptance of new vehicles in the community
- Quick installation of charging infrastructure is vital to program success
- Acceptance of the technology is easy once employees have the opportunity to try out the vehicles
Nationwide Movement
There are many cities across the country implementing electric car initiatives. Drive Electric Orlando, for example, is a partnership between the city’s local rental car agencies, hotels and other tourist attractions. The effort aims to provide tourists and travelers with electric vehicle options as they explore the Orlando sights. Acknowledging that Orlando is a major tourist destination, the city decided to start its electric vehicle implementation in industries experiencing the most economic activity.
Drive Electric Northern Colorado, on the other hand, is positioned more as an educational resource for consumers or cities considering the purchase of an electric vehicle. The community-wide initiative has developed public-private partnerships to encourage the implementation of electric vehicle ecosystems that save money on fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, the city has a sustainability strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 – and the addition of electric vehicles is a key component to the mission. The Minnesota Electric Auto Association offers consumers with information and resources to encourage electric vehicle purchases, while the city has invested in 23 public charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Similarly, Seattle City Light is working to push more consumers toward electric vehicles with information, charging stations and permitting resources. Seattle’s approach focuses not only on building charging stations throughout the community, but educating residents on how to install charging technology in their homes. While electrical energy consumption will go up with in-house charging stations, the cost is greatly offset by the elimination of fuel-related expenses.
Driving Green
Gov1 has reported on millions in savings from electric vehicle adoption resulting in more states adding EVs to their fleets.