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Cranbrook, BC (March 23, 2021) – The City of Cranbrook has added its very first electric vehicle (EV) to its fleet.

The new vehicle has an ample 415km range and will replace a late 1990’s full-size pickup used to support roads, parks and utility operations with Public Works.

“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.

It is expected that the new EV vehicle will prevent 2 tons of CO2 emissions from heading into the atmosphere annually and will save the municipality nearly $600 per year in energy costs.  The EV vehicle qualified for $8000 in rebates from both the federal and provincial governments and will require less maintenance also reducing costs.

Public Works will also be installing a level two charger at the yard on Cobham Avenue to offset the damaged EV charger installed at the Cranbrook Curling Club.  Design work has started for the design of a multi-vehicle charging station at Public Works to further support the fleet transition to EV vehicles.

To date, the City has reduced the CO2 emissions from buildings by over 270 tons per year; from 2014 to 2019 the City reduced its building energy use by over 11%, which saves taxpayers over $250,000 per year in utility bills. Electrification of the City fleet will continue to build on this momentum.

To learn more about the City’s energy management program and completed energy saving projects, visit https://cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/public-works/energy-management-program.

Photo cutline: Evan Berry, the City’s Energy Conservationist sits behind the wheel of the City’s first electric vehicle which replaces a 90’s model full-size pickup truck for Public Works. Photo: City of Cranbrook.