The City of Cape Town has completed an electric vehicle (EV) pilot project, which has proven the business case for the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets.
City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for corporate services, Theresa Uys, said the purpose of the three-year case study, which was funded by the city’s fleet management department, was to ascertain the business case of making the switch to EVs.
“Our aim with this pilot project was to eventually have a solid local business case for the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets. Municipal fleet managers who are exploring the procurement of EVs for their fleets now have this case study to refer to and use as part of their business motivations,” Uys said.
“The greatest incentive, of course, being to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality in our cities and save on operational costs.”
GreenCape sustainable mobility and energy storage senior analyst Prian Reddy said the city had successfully completed the three-year electric vehicle pilot project “which has proven the business case for the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets”.
“Battery electric vehicle technology, paired with renewable energy for charging, is a viable mechanism to achieve the city's net-zero emission goal by 2050,” Reddy said.
The case study revealed the following key insights:
• EVs used in municipal fleets can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve air quality in cities and save on fuel costs.
• There is a business case for procuring electric passenger vehicles for municipal fleets, which can be used as a decarbonisation lever in municipalities if charged with renewable energy.
• It is important that EVs procured by municipalities are fit for purpose and that a suitable charging network is developed to support operational requirements.
• The project showed that the purchase price plus operational costs of electric passenger vehicles are more affordable than internal combustion engine vehicle equivalents.
The City’s Traffic Services also found that the electric vehicles were effective as patrol vehicles in reducing fuel costs and were easy to use in the CBD.
