The City of Cranbrook has purchased the first electric vehicle for its municipal fleet, replacing a late 1990s full-size pickup truck to support Public Works’ roads, parks, and utility operations.
“The acquisition of an electric vehicle is one of the many ongoing efforts that the City is making to reduce its carbon footprint and impact on our environment,” said Evan Berry, Energy Conservationist with the City of Cranbrook.
According to the City, the new electric vehicle (EV) has a 415-kilometre range. The City anticipated the vehicle will prevent two tonnes of CO2 emissions and save Cranbrook nearly $600 in annual energy costs. Cranbrook says the EV will also require less maintenance, reducing costs to the municipality.
The EV also qualified for the $8,000 in rebates from both the federal and provincial governments.
With the new EV in their fleet, the City of Cranbrook also looked at the various EV charging stations around the community.
“Public Works will also be installing a level two charger at the yard on Cobham Avenue to offset the damaged EV charger installed at the Cranbrook Curling Club,” said the City of Cranbrook. “Design work has started for the design of a multi-vehicle charging station at Public Works to further support the fleet transition to EV vehicles.”
From 2014 to 2019, the City said they have reduced CO2 emissions from building by over 270 tonners per year, reducing building energy use by more than 11%, saving taxpayers over $250,000 in utility bills.
Cranbrook said the electrification of their fleet will continue to build on the momentum already generated by their transition to greener practices.
MORE: Energy Management Program and Energy Saving Projects (City of Cranbrook)
