Electric vehicles hit the road in Saskatoon pilot program

The City of Saskatoon is driving its emissions reduction plan forward by adding four electric vehicles to its fleet as a pilot project. 

For some members of city administration who have been working on this project since last year, this day could not come soon enough.

"Electric vehicles are new, but with changes to our climate and legislation, they are expected to become the new normal," Saskatoon director of roadways, fleet and support Goran Saric said in a statement. "By piloting these vehicles now, we can properly prepare for the infrastructure they require, as well as benefit from their lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower maintenance costs and cleaner energy source."

The city will be studying the vehicles to learn more about where they will be most efficient, how well they can meet the city's needs and how much they will cost over their lifetime.

The vehicles have been leased for approximately $685 per month for the next five years, compared to the $585-per-month cost of the fuel-powered vehicles they are replacing. Saskatoon Light & Power metering and sustainable electricity manager Jose Cheruvallath believe these costs will work out in the city's favour in the long run. 

"The savings from less maintenance and not needing to fuel are expected to help offset some of these costs," he said. "With the vehicles that they are replacing, we were on average spending about $11,000 in fuel."

Cheruvallath says this pilot project marks the "first step" in the city's plan to transition its entire fleet to electric vehicles by 2030. Cheruvallath is optimistic about the impact the new electric vehicles will have on the city's emissions. 

"In Saskatchewan, despite the high carbon intensity of electricity, electric vehicles still have about 30 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than the gasoline equivalent," he said. "These lower emissions are only going to improve over time as the Saskatchewan power grid continues to transition toward cleaner sources as well."

As it stands, the city estimates that by taking four fuel-powered vehicles off the road and replacing them with low-emission alternatives, it is saving the equivalent of 4,000 pounds of coal burned every year. 

"Transportation emissions across Canada is the second-largest consumer of energy, excluding oil and gas," said Cheruvallath. "At the city level, fleet emissions account for about 10 per cent of our emissions"

Cheruvallath said the city will also be using this pilot program as an opportunity to educate residents and local businesses about electric vehicles, and build up the infrastructure needed to make this an attractive prospect to any driver in Saskatoon. 

"We play a role in learning and sharing this knowledge with our community as well," he said.

"We're certainly very excited for the new opportunities this brings."