The City of Roanoke, Va., has announced that its Fleet Management Division purchased 11 all-electric Nissan LEAF cars for use in its vehicle replacement program.
In its announcement, the city says the most impressive result of the decision is its return on investment for the program. Between the elimination of underused assets, the reduced expenses realized by purchasing late-model used electric vehicles, the fuel and maintenance savings, and the surplus value of the replaced cars, the purchase is expected to yield significant savings for the city.
Before buying the vehicles, the Fleet Management Division identified a number of low-use vehicles that were ready for replacement, re-assessed its normal replacement strategies, and employed data analysis of vehicle use patterns to devise a new vehicle sharing plan that reduces the number of needed replacement cars. The city says purchase of the first 11 vehicles is expected to avoid approximately $150,000 in vehicle replacement costs – in addition to providing an ongoing savings of approximately 80% in energy and maintenance costs – and is projected to completely pay for itself in just over a year.
The city notes this is the first phase of its plan, with the eventual total purchase of 15 to 20 electric vehicles expected after a review period. The vehicles will be available for staff from many different job functions to drive on an as-needed basis.
The cleaner and efficient Nissan LEAF has a number of environmental advantages, making it an excellent choice for the city’s purposes. By purchasing the electric vehicles, Roanoke is says it demonstrating the business case for sustainability by providing creative solutions to challenges that save or avoid several hundred thousand dollars in costs while increasing its commitment to the environment at the same time.