Though demand for EVs isn’t growing at previously-expected levels, sales continue to climb – and that’s especially true of Ford EVs, which continue to enjoy a boost in that regard. However, along with the retail side of the market, much of the demand for Ford EVs is coming from cities and commercial fleet customers aiming to cut emissions and save money on operating costs. The latest is Los Angeles County, which is in the process of swapping out some of its ICE fleet for Ford EVs.
According to KCAL News, LA County is adding several Ford EVs to its fleet – including, as we see here, a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup used by code enforcement officers. Thus far, the pickups are proving to be quite handy for those tasks, providing lots of portable power and eliminating the need to fuel up during the day. However, there’s much more to come, as LA County currently has around 20,000 vehicles in its fleet, and has plans to electrify that group as quickly as possible.
Incredibly, LA County notes that it spends around $20 million dollars annually on fuel for its ICE fleet, so it stands to save quite a bit of money by transitioning to EVs. By the end of 2024, it expects to have around 200 EVs in its fleet, including both F-150 Lightning pickups and E-Transit vans. With incentives factored in, officials say that the initial purchase price of these models is comparable to ICE vehicles as well.
This is precisely why a lot of municipalities are flocking to Ford EVs at the moment, creating higher than expected demand, according to CEO Jim Farley. Thus far, places like New York City and Dallas continue to electrify their fleets at a rapid pace, which is also true of several utility companies as well. And – as Ford Authority previously reported – the F-150 Lightning remains one of the most popular fleet EVs at the moment, to boot.
We’ll have more on the commercial EV transition soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
Just so Cali. Actually, I think that many commercial applications are better candidates for EVs than personal. As long as the applications don’t risk human life due to no charge, like police, ambulances, fire, etc.
We’ve had Lightnings and E-Transits at the City of Austin for over a year, now. We’ve got 50+ in the fleet and growing…