Indianapolis Plans To Electrify 500-Strong City Fleet
Indianapolis is set to become the first city in the U.S. to require the purchase of either electric or plug-in hybrid cars for all its fleets except the police. An executive order signed by Mayor Greg Ballard in early December, 2012 will see around 500 sedans replaced with the low-emission vehicles, estimated to save taxpayers approximately $12,000 per vehicle over the 10-year life cycle of each car.
Ballard's mandate is part of a plan to convert Indianapolis' entire fleet to electric or plug-in hybrid cars by 2025 to reduce the city's reliance on foreign oil imports. The city already has 200 recharging points and is working with businesses to develop more.
He has also proposed working with the private sector to convert the city's heavy fleet, which includes snow plows, garbage trucks, and fire engines, to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and is planning to partner with automakers to develop the world's first hybrid police car.
In a statement, the mayor's office said a fleet of plug-in hybrid electric cars achieving forty miles per gallon could save the city up to $10m a year in fuel costs.
"The United States' current transportation energy model, driven by oil, exacts an enormous cost financially and in terms of strategic leverage," said Mayor Ballard, a retired marine officer and Gulf War veteran.
"Over the course of the last century, Indianapolis has been a leader in automotive development, so it is perfectly fitting we lead the way again."
There are signs the electric car market is starting to take off in the U.S.
The east coast state of Rhode Island announced plans to install at least thirty public charging points across the state, while Ford revealed that it sold 4,848 C-MAX hybrids in November 2012, overtaking the 4,456 Toyota Prius Plug-in and Prius v hybrids sold in the same month.