By Michael Keating – American City & County
Published April 16, 2025
Look for more electric vehicles (EVs) in municipal fleets in the future, predicts Tom McCalmont, CEO of Paired Power, a firm that manufactures microgrid solar-powered EV chargers with an integrated AI-driven energy management system. “Based on our company’s experience and interaction with municipal fleet managers and local governments, there is significant interest not only in fleet conversions, but to grow EV charging infrastructure beyond the limitations imposed by the grid.” One example: Paired Power and Davis, Calif., recently announced the launch of the firm’s off-grid units in Davis. McCalmont says his firm has more announcements and installations in city fleets pending.
McCalmont tells Co-op Solutions that local government fleet managers face hurdles as they add EVs to their fleets. “The decision of when to shift from internal combustion engines (ICE) to EVs is often driven (or limited) by available grid power. Municipalities often face constraints when looking to transition traditional ICE fleets to EVs due to limited grid capacity at the parking lots where their vehicles are stored.”
He explains: “To provide some perspective, one Level 2 charger consumes the same power as five household clothes dryers, and one Level 3 charger consumes the same power as 100 or more clothes dryers. And because most often the places where local governments keep their fleets are outfitted with only as much grid capacity as an average household, it can be logistically and economically prohibitive in the short term to transition ICE fleets to EVs if grid upgrades are needed.”
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