Easthampton launches EV conversion plan and employee benefit

To help the city meet a 2040 net-zero emissions goal set by a Climate Action Plan, and to provide pathways for residents to do the same, Easthampton is partnering with MoveEV, an electric vehicle consultant based in Somerville, to help the city transition the entire municipal fleet and provide a benefit to municipal employees.

MoveEV did an analysis of the city’s fleet, as well as employee and resident vehicle usage and carbon impact, and then created a dashboard that, using data specific to the city’s fleet and goals, will develop a system to methodically replace the vehicles over time while taking advantage of all state and federal incentives and meeting the needs of the city. The city is expecting an updated dashboard by the end of the summer.

“It shows us how to decarbonize the fleet, which is small, at 120 vehicles,” said Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. “We are going to lead by decarbonizing as a capital improvement project, but we are also going to introduce the community to MoveEV to help them navigate the transition as well.”

The employee benefit program will help city workers see their own impact on carbon emissions, which electric vehicle would best suit their individual needs, and what incentives they can take advantage of.

The transition of the municipal fleet has begun, with the installation of charging stations at multiple municipal buildings and the purchase of Teslas for the Police Department and two flexible-fuel trucks to replace three of the oldest city vehicles. The transition is expected to eliminate 600 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and save about $360,000 per year in fuel costs. LaChapelle said the city is also looking at using hybrid vehicles and fuel-efficient technology as part of the transition.

The city held a kick off event on Earth Day, April 20, when MoveEV demonstrated the city’s dashboard and the portal for municipal employees, and brought in eight different electric vehicles for attendees to see and test drive.

“There is definitely a [cost to] going electric, but there are a lot of programs to help with that burden,” LaChapelle said. “But to match those programs up to what you need on your own is near impossible, so this really broke down those myths.”

Future iterations of the dashboard will update when vehicles are replaced and the real-time impact that has on carbon emissions. Should an individual use the program to make the transition to an electric vehicle, no identifying data would be included.

“It seemed like a very Easthampton kind of thing to do, keeping to our values, making use of our resources, meeting our climate goals and inviting our residents in a very concrete way to join us,” LaChapelle said.