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Fleet Services & Maintenance
Waco park rangers welcome their first electric car
Park rangers Kim Jennings and Juan Sierra smile in front of the first electric car purchased by the city of Waco. This will be used in Cameron Park. (Photo provided by Waco, Texas) By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal
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n April 1970, millions of people across the United States took part in more than 12,000 events to mark the first Earth Day. This followed the call of a Wisconsin senator who felt pollution and development were out of control and needed to be checked. It was a sign of the times that so many Americans in so many different places cared: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not yet exist but would before the end of that year on Dec. 2. Gasoline then contained lead. Skies over Birmingham, Ala., were often brown, and smog clouded the streets of Los Angeles. In Cleveland, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it burned in 1969, with flames lighting up an oil slick on its surface. Since that inaugural Earth Day, there’s been a lot of talk about being environmentally friendly. Through the years, that term has taken on ever-changing facets and meanings, evolving from simple plans for recycling to developing alternative fuel methods. And while we don’t yet have flying cars, we do have electric cars. Twenty automobile manufacturers have produced 40 different models so far, and Cameron Park in Waco, Texas, is on the move in that direction. It acquired its first electric car on June 15, 2021. Kelly Holocek, director of general services at the city of Waco, said the model chosen was the Chevy Bolt, a new battery electric vehicle.
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“We’ve entered into a 100% renewable electricity contract and have incorporated solar panels into our most recent new construction project, Fire Station No. 6,” said Holocek. While EVs don’t create emissions, generating the electricity used to charge them may create carbon pollution. The amount varies depending on how the local power is generated. But even accounting for electricity emissions, EVs generally produce lower levels of greenhouse gases than an average new gasoline car, and if wind or solar power generates the electricity, the total GHGs could be even lower. EVs also do not require oil changes and won’t need to be serviced as often as gas powered vehicles do. Holocek said, “We are looking for every opportunity to incorporate environmentally friendly solutions,” such as the aforementioned solar panels. “The biggest accommodation for us on our electric vehicles is the infrastructure. With just the four that we’ve now purchased, we’ve been able to accommodate their charging needs at various city facilities. We do not have the infrastructure in place at this time for a large amount of our fleet to be electric.” Just as you would when deciding to replace any car, Holocek said, “Vehicles are selected for replacement based on the criteria of mileage, maintenance costs and age.”
