The body and chassis of an electric Ford F-150 Lightning truck at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich.
Five new Ford Lightning electric trucks will be added to the fleet of vehicles owned by San Carlos after councilmembers voted unanimously to spend $457,000 on the purchase this Monday.
“It looks like a good opportunity for our city and our climate goals so this is great,” Vice Mayor John Dugan said during Monday’s City Council meeting.
Councilmembers agreed to purchase five electric trucks to replace five aging gas-operated trucks, making about 10% of the city’s vehicle fleet electric, Public Works Director Steven Machida said.
The vehicles will be purchased locally from Towne Ford in Redwood City. Machida said the purchase was a “rare opportunity” given that most people and agencies have to wait about a year, from purchase to delivery, to receive a Ford Lightning truck and the city wasn’t on a list to access one of the vehicles yet.
Ford also limits the number of trucks any one entity or person can purchase directly from the auto manufacturer at once to one or two trucks given the high demand for the new vehicles. All five of the vehicles are currently on-site and ready for delivery at Towne Ford, Machida said.
The five new electric trucks will help the city replace five gas maintenance trucks ranging in age between 14 and 18 years old, according to a staff report. The new trucks can be used in emergencies as mobile generators, helping to power pump stations, traffic signals and other systems during a power outage.
If a power outage is to occur, Machida said the city’s on-site generator at its Corporation Yard could charge the trucks. The city is also tapped into a variety of energy sources including solar panels, Pacific Gas & Electric’s services and backup generators. Staff is also gathering additional competitive quotes to install charging equipment at the Corporation Yard.
Replacing the gas maintenance trucks with electric powered ones would also align with the city’s environmental goals, specifically strategy 20 in the city’s recently adopted Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan that calls for transitioning the city’s fleet to zero-emission vehicles or low-carbon fuels when possible.
“It really helps us move forward on our climate mitigation goals,” Mayor Adam Rak said. “I look forward to supporting this and seeing them on-site and around town.”
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(2) comments
This is ironic, and indicative of a problem with electric vehicles… Per the article, if a power outage is to occur, the city’s on-site generator could charge the trucks, noting that this generator is connected to backup generators (likely fossil-fuel powered). So what happens if these electric trucks run out of power when on a maintenance call? Run a gas powered truck with a backup generator over to them to power them up? Please, Mr. Mayor, this wasted money paying a premium for electric cars will do absolutely nothing to move you towards climate mitigation goals. The virtue signaling and squandering of taxpayer monies continues. Hey folks, you voted in these councilmembers, you get the government you deserve.
As someone who lives on a very busy street and near city parks, one less noisy vehicle driving by my house is great! There are other forms of pollution than just air pollution. I still will get the road dust from the tires but less noise and exhaust caking my home. As is San Carlos resident, I am thrilled about this purchase.
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