USA: Climate Mayors set targets for EV purchases
At the second “Climate Mayors Summit” in Honolulu, representatives of more than 140 US cities and counties committed themselves to purchase a large electric fleet by the end of 2020. In addition, the Climate Mayors also want to buy electric school buses.
The Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative is a kind of purchasing community. The collaborative summarises the demand and guidelines of the participating cities and other public authorities. In this way, the cities want to ensure that they pay a uniform, equal price for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
At a special summit in Hawaii, the Climate Mayors have now announced that their members have committed to purchasing more than 2,100 electric cars by the end of 2020. “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,” said Climate Mayors’ founder and co-chair, Eric Garcetti.
Next on the Collaborative’s task list is the electrification of school buses. By the end of this year, Sourcewell, the Climate Mayors’ procurement partner will be releasing a new national solicitation for electric school buses. A helpful prospect for vehicle makers and schools alike: 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 emission-free transportation.
“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 2018 Mayor Garcetti first announced the launch of the initiative. The Collaborative is working to harness the purchasing power of the Climate Mayors’ cities to reduce the cost of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure for all U.S. cities, counties, state governments, and public universities, thereby accelerating the transition to electric vehicle fleets. Since then, the number of cities involved has grown to four times the size – to more than 127 cities and 15 counties in 38 states.
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