STIR

Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced on Oct 28th that the city will launch an electric vehicle pilot for the city’s fleet. The announcement coincided with a visit from Ford Motor Company as part of Ford’s “Charging into the Future Electric Vehicle Tour” that began in Portland, Ore. in August. Richmond was chosen as one of 14 stops where Ford is debuting the Transit Connect Electric demo vehicle.

The following is Mayor Jones’ statement from the press conference.

“I want to thank everyone for being here today. I don’t get very many “firsts” in life anymore; but today I’ve just completed another first for me – the driving of an all-electric vehicle. It’s amazing to be standing here in front of Main Street Station – an historic railroad station originally built in 1901 – and today one can drive up in an all-electric powered vehicle. Main Street Station is a focal point for much of the city’s multi-modal transportation efforts; like bus rapid transit, the capital trail and our strategic multi-modal transportation plan. So, it is fitting that we gather you all at this site today as we look into the future.

“I’m pleased to announce the city of Richmond’s plans to conduct a test pilot of electric vehicles in our city fleet. We plan to purchase and test up to four all-electric vehicles in our city motor pool fleet. And if the pilot is successful, we may replace as many as 40 vehicles with all-electric vehicles as the fleet vehicles are scheduled for replacement over the coming years.