Electric vehicles for APD will arrive by the end of the year

City fleet officials updated the Public Safety Commission on Monday about their plan to add a fleet of electric vehicles for the Austin Police Department as part of an effort to meet the city’s net-zero emission target by 2040.

The city is adding two electric Chevrolet Blazers specifically designed for police departments as part of a pilot testing program before deciding if a full fleet should be purchased, according to Rick Harland, an assistant director for Fleet Mobility Services.

Harland said the cars used for the pilot program, which he said will likely arrive by the end of the year, are not replacing any current police vehicles. Once the cars arrive, pilot testing will occur throughout 2025 to evaluate the cars’ performance and reliability. Following the testing, the city will conduct a thorough evaluation of the upkeep of electric police vehicles before making its final decision in early 2026, according to Harland’s presentation. 

“The goal is for APD to put these things to the test, see how they perform with the durability, the reliability, the charge times, how do they perform over time and what happens,” he said.

The Austin Climate Equity Plan, adopted in 2021, called on the city to begin phasing out public gas vehicle fleets with 100 percent electric vehicles as long as they meet operational needs.

Public safety departments in Austin use battery electric vehicles at lower rates than other city departments – likely because electric vehicles suited for public safety are not widespread – and Harland noted that they’ve “played a crucial role” as the city encourages the usage of electric vehicles. 

“They’ve embraced this technology,” Harland said. “They were very willing early on to take it on, and we’re super happy that they did because this has made a big difference in our overall savings.”

APD has a total fleet of 1,283 vehicles and units valued at $50 million, according to the presentation. 

Harland said the manufacturers must support the vehicle for its duration and that it’s important to have the vehicles quickly repaired if malfunctions arise. Some manufacturers are scaling back on electric vehicle production because of disruptions in the supply chain, and Harland said Austin needs to prioritize adding more fast-charging networks.

“This is going to be a true test for the complexities of introducing a battery electric vehicle into law enforcement and there are a lot of eyes on this, from the manufacturers to other municipalities,” Harland said.

Austin joins an increasing number of cities exploring the usage of electric vehicles for their police departments. New York City introduced a test fleet in 2023, using the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

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