Cold Lake, AB – The City of Cold Lake is partnering with the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) to study the feasibility of transitioning to electric fleet vehicles as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and embracing cleaner energy strategies.

“The City is always looking for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint and implement greener ways of doing business,” said Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Nagoya. “There are a few things we need to know before the City is able to commit to integrating electric vehicles into our fleet. How much can we cut our greenhouse gas emissions? What type of cost savings would we see? This study will help answer some of those questions.”

The feasibility study will explore the potential economic and environmental impacts of transitioning to electric vehicles, as well as the projected costs. The City will receive matching funds for the study through the Electric Vehicles for Municipalities program, which is valued at $12,000. Should the City move forward with the purchase of electric vehicles, MCCAC would provide funding, typically in the range of 30% of the cost of the vehicle, up to a pre-set amount.

“Electric vehicles are certainly the way of the future and we’re seeing some other municipalities successfully putting them to use already,” says Nagoya. “But it’s a big undertaking. Not only are EVs more expensive to purchase – sometimes significantly more expensive - than gas or diesel-powered vehicles, but we must also factor in the costs of building the infrastructure for charging these vehicles at all of our facilities and worksites. We all know, winters in Cold Lake can be rough. We need to be sure that an electric vehicle would be just as dependable and resilient to get the job done as the vehicles and equipment we’re using now.”

The feasibility study will be conducted this summer and presented to Council in the fall.

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