Waco buys more fully electric vehicles but holds out on police cars

A charger juices up the Ford F-150 Lightning at the Bird-Kultgen dealership last year.
Jerry Larson, Tribune-Herald file photo

Waco Tribune Herald
Kourtney David
June 26, 2023

The city of Waco’s fleet of fully electric vehicles will soon grow from 12 to 17 after the Waco City Council last week approved $279,000 for that purpose.

The council’s action was part of a multiyear plan to transition to more electric vehicles. The new purchases include:

Two 2023 Electric Chevrolet Bolts to be used by the safety department for a total of $63,700,

A 2023 Ford E-Transit all-electric cargo van for the facilities department for $74,800, replacing a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, and

Two half-ton Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks for the engineering division of the public works department, costing $140,000 total.

City Manager Bradley Ford said the city has added several Chevrolet Bolts to its fleet recently and has enjoyed the vehicles, while the electric Ford F-150s are the first electric trucks to join the fleet. He said the trucks have good ground clearance for construction sites, sitting 8.4 inches off the ground, about an below the average four-wheel-drive truck.

Council Member Jim Holmes said the council is starting to see the fruition of the city’s study on fleet vehicle replacement.

The study, reviewed by the city council a year ago, recommended weighing fuel, hybrid and all-electric options when purchasing as vehicles reach the end of their useful life, rather than placing emphasis on electrification all at once.

Factors such as the ability of local shops to repair the vehicles, their availability timeline and total cost of ownership, including repairs over several years, are considered when purchasing new fleet, Ford said.

Holmes said although it may seem like the city has been procrastinating over the switch, the decision to move to electric or hybrid vehicles has been carefully thought out. The city isn’t purchasing electric vehicles just because it wants to, but because there is measurable data to show that they are the best option in the long run, he said.

“Some people have gotten frustrated that we haven’t been fast enough but … as they reach the end of their useful life we will thoughtfully review availability, the serviceability, the maintenance costs,” Holmes said. “And a lot of these things have a long wait time … We’ve been evaluating as we move forward, so I think we’re getting some good value for the taxpayers.”

The police department will also get six more Ford Police Interceptor hybrid vehicles, following up on a series of purchases that began in 2020. The $444,000 purchase will add to the department’s current fleet of 39 hybrid vehicles. Ford said there are another 58 hybrid police interceptors on order, bringing the total to more than 100 frontline police units.

The police department will also get five pursuit-rated Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup trucks that are neither electric nor hybrid, “which will be the first time we’ve used police pickups in a while I believe,” Ford said. The five trucks come to a total of about $345,000.

Ford said the typical internal combustion engine trucks were chosen over hybrid or electric models because of their quick availability and because they meet the specific needs of the police department. According to council packet reports, the trucks that were studied did not meet the needs of frontline police work, including space to store sensitive equipment.

“I noted 58 hybrid vehicles on order for police and there is a need to move on a different model type to get a few vehicles in hand more quickly,” Ford said.

Assistant City Manager Ryan Holt said during the city council’s work session that the trucks are a special version that are pursuit-rated and have less ground clearance than the electric Ford Lightning trucks. Police package vehicles have features, such as heavier frames, aggressive steering and brakes and improved suspension, that make them more fit for sustained high-speed pursuit situations.

“The police version are pursuit-rated, so they sit a little lower to the ground, have a little better handling and upgraded components for police use, so they’re kind of a different animal,” he said.

During the business session later Tuesday night climate activist Alan Northcutt applauded the city’s purchase of five electric vehicles, but criticized the police department’s continued choices to buy non-electric vehicles.