AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, the City of Austin announced the installation of over 200 charging ports to support the City's growing fleet of electric cars.
The City of Austin has been working toward the goal of becoming carbon neutral since 2015. The new phase in this plan aims to reach this goal by increasing the number of electric cars in Austin.
Led by Fleet Mobility Services, nearly 5% of the City’s on-road vehicle fleet will be electric by the end of 2022.
To keep up with the rising demand for charging ports, Fleet Mobility will be partnering with Public Works and Austin Energy to construct and install more ports.
“Adding these additional charging ports is part of a long-term strategy prioritizing the City of Austin’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca.
Phase one and phase two of this project installed 125 charging stations at city buildings including Aviation, Austin Transportation, Austin Police and Austin Energy.
Phase three of this initiative plans to install 77 more ports by the end of this year at 10 City of Austin department sites including Austin Fire, Austin Water and Austin Resource Recovery.
The initiative also includes adding charging ports to the Watershed Protection, Fleet Mobility Services, Austin Resource Recovery, Aviation and Public Works buildings.
The City hopes to add 330 electric vehicles to its fleet by the end of 2022 and is well placed to reach that goal. The City estimates that this shift will save Austin about $3.5 million over the next 10 years.
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