Mayor Lyda Krewson Unveils City’s Newest 100% Electric Vehicles, Signs Executive Order to Begin Electrification of Municipal Fleet

Mayor Lyda Krewson today continued her nationally recognized and forward-thinking leadership on local climate action by unveiling the City’s newest 100% electric vehicles and signing a new Executive Order that begins the transition toward electrification of the City’s municipal fleet.

“It’s estimated that at least a quarter of all new vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric vehicles. The City of St. Louis has to model our behavior to be ready for that,” said Mayor Krewson. “We must continue to lead by example by embracing cleaner and alternative modes of transportation, which simultaneously helps fight climate change and improve air quality for our residents and our workers. There’s no better way to do that than by introducing electric vehicles into our own fleet.”

The four new electric vehicles, purchased locally from Don Brown Chevrolet, are zero emission, 100% battery electric 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EVs. They will be used by the Department of Health, the City Mail Room, the Board of Public Service (BPS), and the Comptroller’s Office. Each EV is wrapped with specially designed environmental messaging and proudly features the seal of the City of St. Louis on the hood and side doors. The City has several EVs already in service at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

The incremental cost of the new vehicles and their associated charging equipment are being paid for with a portion of the roughly $423,000 the City was awarded through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Volkswagen Trust funds. There is no cost to the City’s capital budget. The City plans to acquire at least eight electric vehicles and ten dual port EV charging stations with VW Trust funds in the coming months.

“Vehicle electrification plays such an important part in the City’s overall decarbonization efforts and steadfast commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. I commend Mayor Krewson for her continued leadership in promoting electric vehicles in both our municipal fleet and within the community at large,” said Catherine Werner, the City’s Sustainability Director. “This is another bold step toward reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and decommissioning older, non-clean emissions vehicles.”

Electric vehicles have been associated with many health, environmental, and financial benefits, including much lower fuel, operating, and maintenance costs over the life cycle of an EV, fewer greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, and no tailpipe emissions that contribute to air pollution.

To capitalize on these growing efficiencies and anticipated savings to taxpayers, Mayor Krewson also today issued Executive Order #68 – “Priority Procurement of Clean Municipal Vehicles”, which cements the practice of adding more clean vehicles to the City’s fleet and demonstrates the City’s commitment to reducing municipal emissions.

Effective immediately, City departments, divisions, and agencies will be directed to prioritize the purchase of low and no emission vehicles over comparable internal combustion engine vehicles powered by conventional fuels where cost-effective. Executive Order #68 also directs BPS to deploy and manage electric vehicle charging stations and related infrastructure where fleet vehicles are most frequently parked as determined by vehicle mileage and telematics data.

“We know that about 9% of greenhouse gases emitted by local government comes from vehicles the City owns and operates. When you look at the transportation sector as a whole for the City, that number jumps up to 17%. By prioritizing the use and purchase of cleaner vehicles in service to our residents, we’re showing that we want to do our part to build and sustain a healthier St. Louis and raise awareness and support for greater use of electric vehicles,” said Christopher D. Amos, CAFM, the City’s Commissioner of Equipment Services.

Today’s actions build on the major and historic steps Mayor Krewson took earlier this month in preparing our built environments for electric vehicle adoption when she signed board bills (162CS, 163CS, and 181) into law.

The legislation, sponsored by 28th Ward Alderwoman Heather Navarro, collectively amends various portions of the City’s building code to phase in requirements for EV readiness in new construction and major renovations over time and requires EV charging equipment to be installed in larger parking lots and facilities.

Additional background:

The City of St. Louis is one of 25 cities selected to participate in the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge, an effort that provides vital resources to enable cities to take strong climate action to improve air quality and reduce air pollution. With support from the Climate Challenge, the City is acting boldly to reduce its carbon footprint across both the buildings and transportation sectors. As part of the Climate Challenge, Mayor Krewson already signed into law a Solar Readiness ordinance, a Building Energy Performance Standards ordinance, and oversaw the creation of a Solar Workforce Development program.

The City is also partnering with FORTH as part of the Climate Challenge on an equity-centered program called SiLVERS, which stands for the St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors. Utilizing a $500,000 grant from the United States Department of Energy, the City will add five electric vehicles and charging stations to local social service agencies who will use them for free senior transportation and senior meal deliveries.

To learn more about the City’s commitment to fighting climate change and protecting our shared environment, please visit the Office of Sustainability’s website.

This content is also available in PDF format.

Documents

• Mayor Executive Order No. 68