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To the Ends of the Earth in a Ford Truck
In Boston, the capital of America's most environmentally friendly state, per Forbes,1 city leaders are committed to reducing their carbon footprint. The city’s municipal fleet, responsible for 25% of emissions from local government operations as of 2020,2 aims to electrify all 390 light-duty vehicles within its 1,200-vehicle fleet by 2035.
A decade after launching its fleet electrification journey with a Ford Focus® Electric hatchback in 2014, the City of Boston Central Fleet now has 82 electric vehicles of various makes and models, including Ford F-150® Lightning® trucks, E-Transit™ vans, Mustang Mach-E® SUVs, and older Ford Focus Electric hatchbacks.
Early Electric Vehicle Adoption: Start Small, Gather Data, Scale Smart
Boston Central Fleet Director Robert Pardo emphasizes practicality in the city’s fleet electrification strategy. Boston first implemented electric vehicles into its shared motor pool program, in which light-duty municipal vehicles stay parked at Central Fleet for city departments to access when needed.
“These vehicles see daily use from multiple staff members,” Pardo explained. “We track usage data like daily drivers, mileage, charging times, and battery depletion as well as auxiliary functions like heating to assess electric vehicle performance.”
Today, Pardo’s electric fleet helps city workers accomplish jobs like code or parking enforcement within predictable ranges and usage conditions.
Exposing employees to electric vehicles in the motor pool program has helped the vehicles gain traction with city workers.
Especially when it comes to Ford electric vehicles, he said, drivers appreciate the creature comforts: “Many of our electric vehicles came standard with heated seats and steering wheels. Features like these are often overlooked due to cost, but drivers love them because they’re often out in the cold Boston winters. Other features like Apple CarPlay®3 and the map function are also popular.”
Also useful in the cold Boston winters is the ability to precondition vehicles by heating the cabin while the vehicle is charging. Using energy from the charger rather than the battery can help maintain battery efficiency and preserve range in cold conditions.
Fewer Moving Parts: Fleet Maintenance Made Easy
Over the past 10 years of maintaining an ever-growing number of electric vehicles, the City of Boston’s Central Fleet technicians have observed a consistent trend: While electric vehicles, like their gas-powered counterparts, require regular vehicle maintenance, the work involved is generally quicker and less complex because electric vehicles have fewer moving parts.
“We save an average of 30 to 45 minutes per vehicle. It really adds up.”Robert Pardo, Boston Central Fleet Director
When it comes to preventative vehicle maintenance, light-duty gas and electric vehicles are brought in every three months or 3,000 miles (whichever comes first), but they don’t receive the same services during those appointments.
As Pardo explains: “We still bring the electric vehicles in at the same cadence as the conventional vehicles so we can check for body damage and other routine things, but we don’t have to top off, change, and dispose of oil. We just do a safety inspection, and back out they go.”
As a result, technicians spend less time per vehicle when servicing the electric vehicles. Pardo says preventative vehicle maintenance for conventional light-duty vehicles averages about an hour and a half per vehicle.
“Comparing the parts and maintenance process of electric vehicles versus gas-powered vehicles, we save an average of 30 to 45 minutes per vehicle. It really adds up," he said.
These reduced labor times also help to lower the city's overall maintenance costs. According to Pardo's estimates, the fleet saves around $60 to $80 in labor and parts costs per electric vehicle service event.
What’s Next for City of Boston’s Central Fleet?
Pardo will proceed with a data-driven approach to determine which vehicles to electrify next.
“As we continue electrification, we'll most likely opt for extended-range battery vehicles," he said. "Greater range could enable the charge to last longer across multiple users each day in the shared motor pool program."
With a decade of electric vehicle experience under its belt, the City of Boston is demonstrating that a practical, data-driven approach can lead to successful fleet electrification and help municipalities meet their ambitious sustainability goals.
Looking to make the electric vehicle transition? Schedule a consultation with a Ford Pro™ team member today.
1https://www.mass.gov/news/massachusetts-named-most-environmentally-friendly-state-in-nation-by-forbes
2https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2020/12/Boston%20ZEV%20Roadmap_1.pdf
3Apple CarPlay is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
