Washington County employs first all-electric vehicle

For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 11, 2020

All-electric Chevy Bolt now added to County fleet

In June, Washington County Fleet Services introduced the first all-electric vehicle, a Chevrolet Bolt, into the County’s Motor Pool fleet. The Bolt was chosen because of its range and ease of integration into the existing fleet. The Bolt has a range of about 250 miles on fully charged batteries. A four-hour regular charge or one-hour quick charge will provide 100 miles of driving. Tom Keyser, CAFM, Washington County Fleet Manager stated that “replacing even just one internal-combustion engine vehicle that has reached the end of its service life with an electric model reduces the amount of carbon dioxide the County is producing.”

This addition was made possible through a joint effort between Fleet Services, Facilities and Sustainability offices to create an “Electric Vehicle” team focused on expanding the charging infrastructure and taking a more intentional approach to adding electric vehicles to the County’s fleet.

The County Motor Pool is used internally for Washington County employees for business trips and to help reduce the overall number of vehicles needed by having a shared resource that any employee can access. Keyser stated that “adding an all-electric vehicle to the Motor Pool fleet made perfect sense as most of these vehicles are used for shorter business trips in the local area.” Previously in 2016, the County also added two Chevrolet Volt’s as the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the fleet. In 2019, new ChargePoint chargers were installed making it easier than ever for employees to access and operate electric vehicles and signaling to the EV team that the timing was right to add the Bolt as well.

Showing a commitment to move away from fossil fuels, Washington County has reduced its fuel use over the last several years, even with a slight growth in the overall size of the fleet. “Fuel use is down 31% per vehicle since 2008 because the County has focused on adding more efficient vehicles to the fleet,” stated Sustainability Coordinator Robin Straughan. “This is a terrific achievement and shows a strong commitment to reducing environmental impacts, lowering operation costs, and supporting a healthy community.”

Washington County Fleet Services, Sustainability and Facilities and Parks Services are all Divisions of the Department of Support Services. Their mission is to provide innovative, excellent and cost-effective services that support County operations and administration, which all contribute to a healthy, safe and sustainable community for Washington County residents.

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