Los Angeles City Council Votes to Electrify Its Fleet of 10k Vehicles

The Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of transitioning the city's fleet of more than 10,000 vehicles to an electric fleet. The move, which was approved last week, will affect all vehicles in the city's fleet.

City Councilmen Mitch O'Farrell and Paul Krekorian introduced The Electric Vehicle Master Plan, encouraging other city councilmembers to vote in favor of adopting the measure, pointing to what they called poor air quality in Los Angeles.

"This is going to be something that not only saves money for taxpayers, it not only creates jobs, but of course it substantially improves our city's carbon footprint and substantially improves local air quality as well," Krekorian said.

The city's current electric fleet consists of 124 electric sedans, 46 plug-in electric hybrids, and two hybrid electric street sweepers, according to NBC 4 Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) expects to receive its first electric fire truck next month, according to a department spokesperson. In 2020, the LAFD became the first fire department in North America to purchased an electric fire engine, from Austrain-based manufacturer Rosenbauer.

The city's Department of General Services (GSD) will work with departments under its jurisdiction to determine electric vehicle (EV) needs using existing and emerging technologies. The GSD will also work alongside the Bureau of Engeineering and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to assess prioritization and installation of fleet, public, and employee EV chargers at more than 600 GSD-maintained buildings and yards across the city. O'Farrell said the city will need to install 97,000 charging stations by 2030 to keep up with the EV demand.

Neither Krekorian nor O'Farrell discussed a cost estimate or time frame. However, Krekorian said the transition will be done in coordination with the LA100 initiative, which aims to be 100% carbon-free by 2035.