The City of New Bedford, Mass. has converted more than a quarter of its general use fleet to electric vehicles, making it the largest of its kind in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, according to a city release. The city now leases 19 Nissan LEAFs, which are used by the New Bedford Health Department and New Bedford Public Schools. 

The city began converting its aging fleet to electric vehicles last year, when it decided to lease 10 Nissan LEAFS. Since then, the city has also received financial support from the state in its efforts to go green. Mayor Jon Mitchell thanked the state of Massachusetts and its Electric Vehicle Incentive Program for its support. Through this program, the city received $206,000.

With the Nissan LEAF, the city saves an average of $60 per vehicle, per month. The LEAF also travels the equivalent of 126 miles per gallon on city streets.

The city has also added more charging stations around the city, from eight in 2011 to 27 in 2016. Of those, 10 charging stations are available for public use. Nissan recently donated two "Fast Charger" stations to the city. The Fast Charger Stations can charge electric vehicles up to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes.