WATERTOWN — With the state banning the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles just 14 short years from now, City Councilman Ryan Henry-Wilkinson says it’s not too early for the city to start planning for a fleet of electric vehicles.
Three weeks ago, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul signed legislation that basically bans the sale of new internal combustion engine cars, off-road vehicles, light-duty trucks and equipment by 2035.
The state legislation also requires new heavy- and medium-duty trucks for sale in New York to be in the “zero-emissions” category by 2045.
With that news, Mr. Henry-Wilkinson told council members last week that the city should explore what it would take to replace the city’s fleet of combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles.
“I just think we should look at it sooner rather than later,” he said.
At some point, the city’s only option will be electric vehicles, he said. The city may be able to purchase them through state contract to save money.
The public works, water and sewer, and parks and recreation departments, and the code enforcement office all have pickup trucks that will eventually have to be replaced with electric vehicles. Last week, the city received four hybrid police patrol vehicles.
Coincidentally, Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith said he already had a conversation with City Manager Kenneth A. Mix about Tesla’s new electric pickup truck.
Mayor Smith, whose wife owns a Tesla, is excited about the prospects of electric vehicles, noting that he proposed years ago that the city should provide electric vehicle charging stations.
Mr. Henry-Wilkinson and the mayor both mentioned that electric vehicles will cost less to operate and maintain. He also wondered whether it would be cheaper to purchase the whole fleet at once.
But Mr. Mix said on Monday he’s “not sure about availability” of electric vehicles. He doubts that they would be available for city use now, he said.
Ford will produce an F-150 electric version, while Tesla’s Cybertruck, a stealth-jet-looking vehicle, can be ordered now and could be delivered in 2022.
Mr. Henry-Wilkinson also envisions a day when charging stations will be located in various locations throughout the city.
Mr. Mix predicted that the issue will be charging stations for the city’s fleet, since each vehicle will need one to charge every night.
It will be farther down the road for fire engines, dump trucks and snow plows to be available and manufactured, he said.