Employees Take Electric Vehicles on Test Drive

As part of the County’s efforts to ramp up its green fleet and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Department of General Services’ Fleet Management team held an EV Ride and Drive Event at the County Administration Center Thursday. They arranged to have a half dozen battery electric vehicles and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles on site for department employees and the public to learn more about and test drive.

As of April, the County has just over 80 of both these kinds of electric vehicles but wants to get more departments to transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles, said Michael Rico, Fleet Acquisitions Coordinator. The biggest challenge Fleet Management has is helping others overcome electric vehicle range anxiety, but the office is happy to work with any department to discuss their current usage and battery electric versus plug-in electric range, he said.

Range has significantly increased since electric vehicles were first introduced. Now, an electric vehicle can have up to a 200-mile range, and a plug-in electric hybrid can get between 25 and 45 miles range before switching over to the gas engine.

The County currently has chargers at the County Operations Center, the County Administration Center, the Santa Ysabel Nature Center, Palomar Airport, Sheriff’s Headquarters, the North and South Bay regional centers, the Ramona and Fallbrook libraries, Gillespie Air Field and various other County facilities. General Services is also working on expanding the charging capabilities to more facilities.

Jim Gamboa, fleet coordinator of electric vehicles, said all electric vehicles are competitively priced to gas engine vehicles, and departments will save on costs for fuel and vehicle maintenance.

County departments were given an opportunity to test drive and learn about a Chevrolet Bolt, four seater battery electric vehicle, a Ford Mustang Mach-E sedan, a Ford Escape Plug-in electric hybrid SUV, and a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan. More models are currently available to order and a Ford E Transit commercial van and a Ford F150 Lightning pickup truck will be available to order in the near future.

Sarah Aghassi, General Manager for the County’s Land Use and Environment Group, test drove the Mach-E and said she is interested in getting one for her next personal vehicle.

David Flores, a senior policy advisor on land use and environmental justice in Supervisor Nora Vargas’ office, who test drove the hybrid minivan, said, “First, it’s just extremely quiet, and it’s very, very smooth. It’s easy to understand the controls and see how much battery power you have.”

To learn more about how to transition to an electric vehicle, contact Nicole Alejandre, Assistant Director for the Department of General Services, by email at Nicole.Alejandre@sdcounty.ca.gov or by phone at (619) 405-5519.