Indianapolis plans to add 425 PHEVs and BEVs to municipal fleet by 2016

29 October 2014

The City of Indianapolis will upgrade 425 non-police-pursuit sedans in its muncipal fleet to plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles by early 2016, cut the size of the fleet by 100 vehicles, and save $8.7 million over ten years. The Indy fleet would be the largest municipal fleet of electrified vehicles in the US.

<!——>

The new Indy fleet vehicles will include 100% electric models, such as the Nissan LEAF, as well as plug-in hybrid models like the Chevrolet Volt and the Ford Fusion Energi, which offer extended range. The cars will be distributed throughout the fleet based on the needs of city fleet drivers and their departments, and be branded as Indy’s “Freedom Fleet”. The City will replace 100 vehicles by the end of this year and 425 vehicles by the beginning of 2016.

This is a landmark step in revitalizing our aging fleet and replacing expensive internal combustion engine vehicles with cutting-edge EV technology, all while reducing our dependence on oil and saving Indianapolis taxpayers thousands in fuel costs each year. America’s dependence on oil ties our national and economic security to a highly-unpredictable, cartel-influenced global oil market. Diversifying the types of vehicles and fuels available to our drivers offers our city protection from often-volatile oil prices and better prepares us for the future.

In partnership with Indianapolis, Vision Fleet, a full-service accelerator of large-scale alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) adoption in America’s fleets, developed an innovative financing structure that bundles together all the expenses of purchasing, fueling, and maintaining the electric vehicles into a guaranteed rate that is lower cost than Indianapolis’ gasoline sedans.
Additionally, to unlock maximum savings for the City, Vision Fleet will
utilize its comprehensive suite of technology, data analytics, and operational support designed specifically for
reducing the cost of ownership of alternatively fueled vehicles.

Each gasoline powered sedan in Indy’s fleet would have cost taxpayers approximately $9,000 per year over the next decade, including purchase, fuel, maintenance and insurance. Freedom Fleet vehicles will cost approximately $7,400 per year over that period; saving taxpayers approximately $1,600 per year per vehicle.

Additionally, to unlock maximum savings for the City, Vision Fleet will
utilize its comprehensive suite of technology, data analytics, and operational support designed specifically for
reducing the cost of ownership of alternatively fueled vehicles.