Current Status
Ongoing
Activity In 2022
14% of the city’s municipal fleet are electric or low emission vehicles. The City currently has a total of 38 electric vehicles (EVs) and 442 hybrid vehicles in its fleet.
Beyond 2022
The City’s Fleet Management Department received 15 Chevy Bolt EVs that will be placed into service in 2023.
Current Initiatives
- EVOLVE Houston Fleet electrification
- METRO Going Green (zero-emission buses)
- White House Fact Sheet: Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan (2021)
- EV Charging Long-Range Plan
- EV Micro-Climate Plan
How Important is Converting Fleet Vehicles to Electric?
Houston is a car-centric city with 94% of passenger trips taken in automobiles. Almost 80% of on-road emissions came from passenger cars and light duty trucks in 2014. Approximately 20% of on-road emissions came from commercial hauling and freight vehicles. Buses (intercity, transit, and school) made up 1% of the transportation emissions inventory. The focus on shifting regional fleet to electric and low-emission vehicles is essential. Evolve Houston, an organization derived from the Climate Action Plan and co-founded by the City of Houston, NRG Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Shell and the University of Houston, has worked diligently over the past two years to improve accessibility, affordability, and availability of electric transportation to all Houstonians. The City of Houston is leading by example by recently completing a fleet electrification case study with Evolve Houston, which consisted of over 5,000 vehicles to identify how fleet vehicles across 19 departments, including the Houston Police department, Public Works and the Houston Fire Department, can go electric today, and in the near future. In addition, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County has committed to adding 20 full-size, zero-emissions buses and 10 electric paratransit vans to its public transportation fleet. This is a part of METRO's ongoing commitment to transition its transportation fleet to zero-emissions vehicles. To meet charging demands, the city is also exploring strategies to equitably expand the EV charging infrastructure across the Greater Houston area to provide organizations, residents, and visitors with the ability to plug-in and drive electric. The city has already committed to install 41 EV charging stations throughout Houston, creating a charging infrastructure that will power the city’s electric fleet, in collaboration with Greenlots, a member of the Shell Group. As the number of the fleet vehicles continuous to evolve, an exponential increase in electric vehicle purchases is expected, placing the city closer to its goal by 2030.
Resources
- 2022 Data Source
- COH ARA / Fleet