Tampa adds nine electric vehicles to city fleet

The city of Tampa has added nine electric vehicles to its fleet, bringing the city closer to its sustainability goal of being powered exclusively by electric vehicles.

The city purchased the electric vehicles as part of Mayor Jane Castor’s Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow initiative, which has a long-term goal of moving to 100% electric vehicles. The initiative plans to reach that sustainability goal by purchasing 10 additional electric vehicles each year.

“I’m impressed with them, you’ll be impressed with them too,” Tampa administrator Jean Duncan said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

The vehicles will be split between the city’s water department and the development and growth management department, Duncan said. The city’s fleet already includes 90 compressed natural-gas powered garbage trucks and more than 30 hybrid vehicles.

“The technology is outstanding,” said Sal Ruggiero, the logistics and asset management department deputy administrator, who was able to test run one of the cars.

As the initiative progresses, the city is also looking to expand to electric buses, garbage trucks and heavy equipment, the Mayor said on Tuesday.

“As that technology advances, we will be able to realize that dream of all electric,” Castor said.

Castor touted the reduction going electric will have on the city’s carbon footprint, cutting emissions by 66%. Another bonus is long term savings, Castor said. Although the initial purchase is more expensive than the average car, the city will save on fuel and maintenance costs, as electric cars have fewer moving parts.

The city has also installed charging stations at a number of city facilities to accommodate the vehicles, Castor said.

“We are looking into the future,” Castor said. “We really are excited about this. This is one more step in transforming Tampa’s tomorrow with electric vehicles.”