IOWA CITY -- Iowa City is moving toward a goal of full electrification of its city vehicles, leading the way among municipalities across Iowa. Last week, it unveiled an electric Iowa City Police patrol vehicle, thought to be the first fully electric vehicle being used by law enforcement for patrol in Iowa.

The new patrol vehicle is part of the city's Fleet Transition Plan, which was completed last year. The plan establishes a timeline and identifies infrastructure needs to electrify the city's fleet of vehicles.

Iowa City's embrace of electric technology for city vehicles isn't new. The city bought its first electric vehicle in 2018, and in 2021 it adopted an EV preference, which requires electric vehicle models to be considered any time a city vehicle is being replaced.

The city now has 16 fully electric vehicles, including the patrol car, and plans to add more with the addition of four new electric buses.

"We've now got about seven years of data showing that we've had real cost savings with the reduced maintenance," Iowa City Climate Action Coordinator Sarah Gardner said of the city's transition to electric vehicles. "There's just a lot of benefits to the city to electrifying its fleet."

Each of the city's vehicles typically lasts for around 20 years and the city will aim for full electrification as each vehicle reaches the end of its life span.

"It'll probably take us a little longer (than 20 years), just because we don't replace vehicles, like if they're still functioning, we tend to hold on to them a little longer, but we have models identified, and we know what the infrastructure build out looks like," said Gardner.

The initiative to bring electric vehicles to the Iowa City Police Department started with a smaller move when it added an electric bike. After the successful implementation of that bike, which is used for patrol, the police department added a second bike and then started collaborating with the city's climate action office to find a suitable patrol vehicle.

"We were specifically looking for a patrol rated vehicle ... We say patrol rated but what we mean is we're looking for something that's a little more rugged and that also has the capacity for all the equipment for policing inside," Gardner said. "I think a vehicle like this really dispels some of the myths and misconceptions you sometimes see about EVs. Clearly, it's a high performance vehicle serving a very specified need."

The Chevy Blaze cost the city about $55,000, which is $6,000 more than the department typically spends on its hybrid patrol vehicles. However, the vehicle was eligible for the now-expired $7,500 tax credit program from the federal government that offered incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles.

The patrol car, which was introduced to the public last week, is currently used for two out of three patrol shifts each day.

"I think it's something that the community should be proud of, that we're trying to do what we can for climate action," Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said. "Again, I do think it's going to be a cost savings in the long run. So we're trying to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars, and I think the officers are going to like it."

City staff have estimated the vehicle will cost 2 to 3 cents per mile over its lifetime. In comparison, the city's hybrid vehicles cost closer to 15 cents per mile, and fully diesel vehicles cost up to 30 cents per mile.

"Here in Iowa, we're really lucky to have robust grid resources, and what that means is for us in MidAmerican territory, is that we have a really high renewable energy capacity on the grid that really drives down the total emissions. And one way to think about the vehicle is that it's a vehicle that's running on wind, which is pretty cool," said Gardner.

Earlier this year, the Iowa City Council approved spending $1.25 million to purchase four new electric buses. The buses cost $5.55 million, but 77 percent of the cost is being covered through a federal grant the city received in 2023.

The city has four existing electric buses, added in 2022, but they have been out of commission due to maintenance issues.

Proterra, the manufacturer of the city's electric bus fleet, went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 and later was bought out by Phoenix EV. Since then, the city has struggled to get parts and technical support for the buses.

The new buses will be manufactured by Gillig, the same company the city uses for its diesel fleet.

"From our perspective, it's more of a, 'Let's pivot our manufacturer to someone who's got more reliable vehicles.' From everyone that we've reached out to that have Gillig electric buses, the reliability is there," Iowa City Transportation Director Darian Nagle-Gamm told The Gazette in August. "We're excited to pivot manufacturers to a manufacturer that's got more decades of experience, and then they also are our current partner for our traditional diesel fleet."

Iowa City isn't the only municipality preparing for electric vehicles. The city led the charge on an Eastern Iowa Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan, which was funded by a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The plan examines infrastructure needs to encourage electric vehicle adoption.

Part of that is evaluating the need for charging stations throughout each of the cities. In Iowa City, there is at least one EV charger in every city-owned parking ramp. Gardner said the city is continuing to evaluate the need for different types and additional chargers.

The group that worked on the plan included representatives from Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque and Waterloo.

"We engage in a lot of information sharing with them as well. ... I think you're seeing a lot of cities very actively considering adding them to their fleet. And you know, it's not hard to understand why," said Gardner.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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Iowa City looks toward full electrification of municipal vehicles