New electric vehicles for Salt Lake City get $1.75 million in funds

New electric vehicles for Salt Lake City get $1.75 million in funds

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SALT LAKE CITY — Acknowledging summer air quality issues, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and the city's sustainability office are championing ongoing city efforts to reduce pollutants.

As part of the 2015-16 budget, adopted by the Salt Lake City Council last month, seven new electric vehicles are being added to the city’s fleet this year to replace older, fuel-burning vehicles, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Becker originally proposed $750,000 to fund a new fleet of energy-efficient cars, but the City Council added $1 million to expand the initiative.

“Our program to carefully assess emissions and local air pollutant impacts, as part of the cost-to-own analysis for fleet purchases, is paying dividends,” the mayor said. “We weigh these factors to produce outcomes that mitigate climate and air quality impacts and save taxpayer resources."

Since 2009, city officials have converted 224 light- and heavy-duty vehicles to clean fuel or hybrid power, which has raised the city fleet’s clean vehicle ratio from 2 percent to 15 percent, according to the news release.

City officials are continuing to build amenities for residents and visitors who drive electric vehicles. A new grant from the Utah Division of Air Quality has facilitated an expansion from the current six-station system to 25 new charging ports across the city.

For more on the city’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, visit slc.gov.


Katie McKellar is a Dixie State University graduate with a bachelor of science in mass communication. Before interning at Deseret News, she reported and edited news content for Dixie Sun News, first as Photo Editor, then as Features Editor. Email: kmckellar@deseretnews.com

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