Los Angeles Adds 288 Electric & Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars To Fleet

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on September 11 that the city will lease 160 electric cars for use by the city’s police, fire, and general services departments and the Department of Water and Power. Garcetti said the move will give LA the largest pure EV fleet in the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, the Department of Water and Power and the General Services Department will lease 128 plug-in hybrids. Garcetti said the 288 cars would save taxpayers money and advance sustainability goals. Earlier this year, Garcetti released the Sustainable City pLAn designed to make the city more sustainable and deliver environmental and economic benefits. The announcement comes on the eve of the US-China Climate Leaders Summit to be hosted in LA on September 15–16.

“When we laid out our sustainable city plan … we promised that 50% of new city fleet vehicles purchased each year would be EV by 2017,” Garcetti said. “Now we’re fulfilling that promise ahead of schedule.”

A hundred of the battery-electric vehicles will be dedicated to the LAPD and will be used by detectives, investigators, and administrative employees. The LAPD is also being loaned a Tesla Model S P85D and a BMW i3, which were on display outside police headquarters on Friday. Those vehicles will be used for testing and research by LAPD technical experts to determine how the technology can support future needs.

“You can see right here behind me, the future,” Garcetti said, gesturing toward the Tesla and BMW. “Our goal is to one day go from gas-powered to battery electric in our squad cars. And if we do that, the impact could be national in scale. LA could once again the lead the way to help transform not just our department, but other departments and cities around the country.”

“I think that today, this announcement, will trickle across the nation as a challenge to other cities, other police departments, other fire departments to look at what you’re doing and to take a step that makes a change for the positive,” Chief Beck said. “Great day for policing, great day for the city. Proud to be an Angeleno.”