By Tom McCalmont, Paired Power – for North American Clean Energy
Published June 23, 2025
In little more than a decade, driving an electric vehicle (EV) has gone from being a statement made by environmentally conscious drivers to a real trend fueled by advances in technology, range, reliability, and convenience. The rise in EV adoption has gone beyond just privately owned vehicles, extending to fleets both commercial and government owned. This growth is due to a variety of factors, both economic and environmental. However, more fleet deployments have created new vulnerabilities for the governments operating these fleets, requiring new solutions. Switching from ICE to EV fleets creates dependency on the grid, but these systems can be made more resilient by integrating solar power and battery storage technology.
Adoptions of EVs by municipal and county governments has seen steady growth. New York City, for example, has 4,000 EVs in its fleet, and is aiming for full electrification by 2030. Other cities are following suit. Nearly 14,000 electric school buses (ESBs) have been committed or deployed across the United States by almost 1,600 school districts and fleet operators.
Municipal and county governments considering fleet electrification are incentivized by numerous benefits that come with operating EVs. Switching to EVs reduces tailpipe emissions, improves local air quality, and reduces noise pollution. Research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that electric vehicles in the U.S. produce 60-68 percent fewer emissions over their lifetime than gas-powered cars.
Read the full piece here
