Indianapolis to Replace All City Vehicles With Hybrids, EVs
Indianapolis plans to swap all its city-use sedans for electrified cars according to a new order signed by mayor Greg Ballard.
“The United States’ current transportation energy model, driven by oil, exacts an enormous cost financially and in terms of strategic leverage,” Ballard said in a statement. “Our oil dependence in some cases places the fruits of our labor into the hands of dictators united against the people of the United States.”
The plan puts the city on track to switch all the city’s vehicles by 2025 with a few exceptions. Electric police cars are still out of reach because the city’s budget can’t afford EVs capable of the necessary speed, although the city is soliciting automakers to build plug-in hybrid police cars. Ballard’s personal vehicles will all also be either hybrids or EVs as well.
“We are negotiating with the automakers and several international capital fleet firms to get the best deal possible for taxpayers,” city spokesman Marc Lotter said.
While electric cars carry a high initial cost, the city is expecting to cash in big in fuel savings. In fact, if it were possible to switch its polcie cars to electric and plug-in hybrid cars, the city expects to save roughly $10 million.
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[Source: Detroit News]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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