Town To Purchase Third EV for Municipal Use

Town officials last week approved funds to purchase an electric vehicle from a New Canaan-based dealership.

Chevy Bolt EUV. Credit: https://www.karlchevy.com/used-Stamford-2022-Chevrolet-Bolt+EUV-Premier-1G1FZ6S00N4103993

The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV for the New Canaan Health Department will be the third EV in the municipal fleet, officials say.

Health Director Jenn Eielson told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting Aug. 15 that it’s very difficult to get such a vehicle in the town’s price range.

“You can’t find them,” Eielson said at the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. “There’s been a push by the town to go toward electric vehicles. And there’s very limited inventory in our price range.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the purchase from Karl Chevrolet.

Public Works Director Tiger Mann said funds currently are available in the Health Department’s capital budget.

The specific EV the town is getting has “been used slightly by some of their upper staff” at the dealership, Mann said.

“So we are getting a very good price associated with that, since it’s only got 6,000 miles on it,” he said.

The town in 2021 began working toward adding electric vehicles to the municipal fleet as part of its effort to achieve silver accreditation in the Sustainable CT program, which offers recognition and grants to towns that engage in a range of sustainability initiatives that meet state standards. New Canaan purchased its first two EVs, both Chevy Bolts, last year. 

Those use two charging stations in the Town Hall lot, and the third vehicle could either use those or another one could be added at Vine Cottage. Mann said the town is considering adding additional EV chargers in the Locust Lot. If the town did add chargers there for municipal EVs, visitors to Town Hall could use the ones in the lot there “and we have them on a system where, if they choose to enact it, they [visitors] could pay for their charge,” Mann said.

The selectmen asked how many town-owned vehicles are used by the Land Use departments (seven) and whether there’s cross-usage among departments (yes).

Asked what kind of mileage the town is putting on its vehicles, Mann and Eielson said they’re used for short drives and long stays at their destinations. For example, Eielson said, when health officials do soil testing they remain on site for two hours.

Mann said, “They are short runs with long stays, It’s not a fair analysis to look at mileage, it’s more on time.”