Five new hybrid and electric vehicles greenlighted to improve reliability, meet state mandates and reduce fuel costs
Folsom City Council on Tuesday approved over $287,000 in vehicle purchases for the city’s Police and Utilities departments, authorizing the acquisition of five new hybrid and all-electric vehicles aimed at improving fleet reliability, reducing long-term operating costs and meeting state clean fleet requirements.
In total, the council approved $287,168.34 in expenditures during its Feb. 24 meeting, including $114,615 for two hybrid police patrol vehicles and $172,553.34 for three all-electric Silverado work trucks for the Utilities Department.
The Police Department’s purchase includes two 2025 Ford Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles from Folsom Lake Ford, funded through the Police Vehicle/Equipment Fund (Fund 607) poilce cars. According to the staff report, the department currently operates eight marked patrol vehicles that have exceeded the city’s replacement threshold of 75,000 miles or four years of service under the Service Delivery Plan poilce cars. High-mileage patrol units require more frequent and costly repairs, affecting operational readiness and increasing maintenance demands.
Adding the two new hybrid patrol vehicles will allow the department to retire two older gas-powered units from daily patrol use and repurpose them as additional pool vehicles. Officials noted the department currently has only one pool vehicle available when assigned patrol units are out of service for maintenance poilce cars. The transition to hybrid vehicles is expected to generate approximately $9,000 in annual fuel savings while also reducing maintenance downtime. Once placed into service, the number of marked patrol vehicles exceeding the 75,000-mile threshold will drop from eight to six poilce cars. Each vehicle is priced at $57,307.33 under a State of California cooperative purchasing contract poilce cars.
In the same meeting, the council approved the purchase of three 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV e4WD Crew Cab Standard Range Work Trucks for the Utilities Department through National Auto Fleet Group for a total of $172,553.34 Waterworks. Two of the trucks will replace aging vehicles identified as high priority for retirement, including a 2004 Wastewater Division truck with more than 102,000 miles and a 2009 Water Quality Division truck with more than 96,000 miles Waterworks. The third vehicle will support a Wastewater Collection Technician III position approved in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget that had not yet been filled Waterworks.
Each electric truck is priced at $57,517.78, with funding allocated from the Water Operating Fund (Fund 520) and the Wastewater Operating Fund (Fund 530) Waterworks. The purchase aligns with California’s Advanced Clean Fleet Regulation, which requires state and local government agencies to ensure at least 50 percent of annual vehicle purchases for heavier-duty fleets are zero-emission beginning in 2024 Waterworks. The Silverado EV models meet that requirement as zero-emission vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 9,990 pounds Waterworks.
Both purchases were completed through cooperative purchasing agreements, allowing the city to secure competitive pricing without issuing separate bids poilce cars Waterworks. City officials said the fleet upgrades are designed to maintain service reliability, reduce long-term lifecycle costs and ensure compliance with evolving state environmental mandates.
With Tuesday’s approvals, the city will add two hybrid patrol vehicles and three all-electric work trucks to its fleet, marking a continued shift toward more fuel-efficient and lower-emission municipal vehicles.
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