These electric vehicles will replace some of the city’s fleet as part of the city’s replacement schedule for assets throughout its various departments, General Services Director Chad McDowell said.
“This is just a standard vehicle replacement,” McDowell said during a Feb. 8 packet briefing. “The only thing that's different is this will be our first initial run on electric vehicles.”
McDowell said the vehicles are a long-term investment, as there is “hardly anything to wear out” in all-electric vehicles.
“We know we're going to get 10 years,” McDowell said. “My assumption would be [that] in about five or six years, there'll be a battery pack and we can just change it out. you could just keep driving it until you wore the suspension out and then you can replace that. So there potentially could be a very long term on these vehicles.”
Ongoing supply chain issues mean that this purchase will come with a delay ranging from six months to a year, according to the city.
The replacements will be funded out of the city’s drainage, utility and general funds with a combined price tag of $490,317.21. Vehicles being replaced will be auctioned off via buy board.
