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Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative Announces More Than 140 Cities and Counties Have Committed to Purchasing Over 2,100 EVs by 2020

Originally released as a press release from the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative

The Collaborative also unveiled plans to release a new, competitive bid to add electric school buses to the platform.

HONOLULU, HI – JUNE 27, 2019

Today, at the second-annual Climate Mayors Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii, 127 cities and 15 counties from across 38 states joined the Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative, and committed to purchasing more than 2,100 electric vehicles by the end of 2020.

The Collaborative also announced plans to place a competitive bid on electric school buses by the end of this year, which will enable all electric school bus manufacturers to offer any public school system in the country access to equal, competitive prices.

“The clean transportation revolution is not a distant vision for the far-off future — it’s a reality hitting the streets of Los Angeles and cities around the world,” said Climate Mayors Founder and Co-Chair Eric Garcetti. “By pooling our purchasing power, Climate Mayors are sending a powerful message to the global car market: if you build electric vehicles, we will buy them.

In 2018, Mayor Garcetti announced the launch of the Collaborative — an online portal that provides cities with a single, equal price for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure by aggregating the demand from Climate Mayors cities and other public agencies, along with expert policy and planning guidance. The number of cities has more than quintupled since that announcement — growing to more than 127 cities and 15 counties from across 38 states with a total commitment of over 2100 EVs by 2020.

Climate Mayors procurement partner, Sourcewell, will be releasing a new national solicitation for electric school buses by the end of the year. With more than 470,000 school buses operating across the country, lower prices and reduced administrative work will help school systems with smaller budgets provide their students with zero-emission transportation.

By transitioning city fleets to EVs, cities are leading by example: helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet, saving taxpayer money, improving public health and reducing our nation’s dependence on oil. By the end of 2020, the EV commitments have the potential to:

• Cut gas usage by up to 1 million gallons each year;
• Transition to 25 million electric miles driven each year; and
• Add more than $75 million in purchasing power to the electric vehicle market.
  
  

“The electrification of Honolulu’s city and bus fleets will go a long way in making our island more sustainable and resilient in the face of the current climate crisis,” said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “However, it will also improve the natural environment for our residents and visitors by eliminating smoky exhaust fumes and noise pollution from our communities. By coming together under one umbrella with this EV Collaborative, mayors across the country are increasing the purchasing power of taxpayers while also showing love for Mother Nature.”

“Cities across the country are demonstrating critical leadership by committing to transition their fleets to electrification – reducing our dependence on oil, while also improving our nation’s health, and our economic and national security,” said Ben Prochazka, Vice President of the Electrification Coalition. “We hope other mayors around the country will see this as a call to action and plug their fleets into the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative.”

In agreeing to purchase electric vehicles through the Collaborative, cities and counties gain access to competitively-priced electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, as well as reduced-cost leasing options through state and federal tax credits.

With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Collaborative is working with the American Cities Climate Challenge, a group of 25 of the largest U.S. cities pursuing ambitious goals to cut emissions and fight climate change from the bottom-up. American Cities Climate Challenge cities represent about 700 vehicles of the commitment.

Launched in September 2018, the Collaborative is a partnership between Climate Mayors, the Electrification Coalition, and Sourcewell, a national transit fleet transition program that works with cities and other public agencies to accelerate the electrification of national ground transit fleets.

Read the original press release on the Climate Mayors website!