The city of Santa Fe is greatly expanding its fleet of electric vehicles.
The Governing Board voted last night to purchase 16 Nissan Leafs and one Mitsubishi Outlander for various departments.
It’s the biggest purchase so far as the city moves toward its goal of moving to an all-electric fleet for non-emergency vehicles by 2025.
The electric vehicles are replacing gas-powered cars that have reached their end of life or slated for replacement.
The funding comes from a 750-thousand dollar appropriation from the State Legislature.
Sustainability Officer Neal Denton says they will also be building 13 electric charging stations, including six for public use.
“We are combining this project with a grant we received from the New Mexico Environment Department for public changing stations at our three public parking garages; Sandoval, Convention Center and the Railyard,” he said. “In total there will be four charging stations with two ports serving eight parking spaces at the Railyard garage and one charging station at each of the others serving two parking spaces.”
Denton says the Leaf Plusses offer a range of 226 miles which is one of the best available for non-luxury cars.
The city purchased four Leafs in 2018. The new cars should be delivered by the end of the fiscal year.