San Diego Charges Ahead with Electric Vehicles to Achieve Climate Action Goals
The City of San Diego’s fleet is going green. In recent months, the City has received 22 new Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles (EV) and three Ford Lightning trucks to support City operations. These new EVs help move the City closer to its Climate Action Plan (CAP) goal of having 100% of its light-duty fleet vehicles and 75% of its medium/heavy-duty vehicles be zero-emissions by 2035.
The eco-friendly Mach-Es are the first of this vehicle type to be purchased by the City. Other EVs currently in operation include Chevy Bolts and plug-in hybrid models such as Ford Fusions and Escapes. The Mach-Es will be used by the San Diego Police Department and the Development Services Department.
The all-electric Lightning trucks — the EV version of a Ford F-150 — are the most recent arrival and are currently being fitted for City use. The Lightning trucks will be used by the Parks and Recreation Department.
More EVs are on the way. The City’s Fleet Operations Division manages and maintains approximately 4,000 light and medium/heavy duty vehicles and has already started a conversion to EVs with its light duty vehicles. Fleet Operations is expecting nine additional Mach-Es, 35 Lightning trucks, two new EV street sweepers and a new electric fire truck to be delivered by the end of 2024. The division will continue to ramp up purchases in the years ahead to reach the CAP goal.
Currently, the City has 30 dual-port chargers across seven locations to support the electric fleet. The Fleet Operations Division is working on a strategy to deploy additional chargers for City operations across a variety of sites in the future.
“These recent EV purchases showcase how we strive to meet CAP goals while simultaneously meeting operational needs required to serve the San Diego community every day,” said Director of the Department of General Services Musheerah Little. "We are proud to be a leader in our efforts to electrify our fleet.”
The progressive step toward developing a zero-emissions fleet comes months after the division was honored by the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) as the fleet with the “Best Policies and Procedures,” as part of its annual Green Fleet Awards, marking the fifth consecutive year the City has been honored by the world’s largest not-for-profit membership association for vehicular fleet administrators.
In addition to “Best Policies and Procedures,” NAFA also recognized the City of San Diego as the 26th greenest fleet in the country, 12 spots higher than its 38th place ranking in 2021.