The City of Cranbrook, British Columbia is going green with the addition of its first electric vehicle (EV) to their municipal fleet.
In their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, the city purchased a new Hyundai Kona EV. For Public Works employees it will be a significant upgrade with the EV replacing a late 1990’s full-size pickup truck.
“The acquisition of an electric vehicle is one of the many ongoing efforts that the City is making to reduce its carbon footprint and impact on our environment,” says Evan Berry, Energy Conservationist with the City of Cranbrook.
The city was able to purchase the Kona EV with $8,000 in rebates from both the provincial and federal governments. They estimate it will help prevent 2 tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere each year, and save taxpayers an estimated $600 per year in fuel costs.
To ensure it stays charged a level 2 charger will be installed at a local Public Works facility. The city expects this to be the first of many EVs in their fleet and design work has already begun for a multi-vehicle charging station.
