It's Official: Gables Goes Electric
DRIVING TO MEETINGS WITHOUT GAS
Matt Anderson likes to drive to city meetings without using gasoline. He hops into one of the city’s electric vehicles, which runs on batteries. The electric cars save the city money on fuel and have none of the emissions of gasoline-powered cars.
Coral Gables now has 35 electric vehicles for administrative purposes, like driving to meetings. “We have the largest electric vehicle fleet of any city in the state,” says Anderson, the city’s senior sustainability analyst.
So far, Coral Gables has purchased only Nissan Leafs. Each cost about $32,000, but by leasing first, the city brought the price down to $18,000. Nissan also has donated two charging stations to the city, which can power up a battery to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes. The city now has nine charging stations in parking garages, all available for free public use.
This year, Coral Gables aims to buy eight extended-range Chevrolet Volts, and by 2022, the city plans to boost its EV tally to 78, or roughly 60 percent of its administrative fleet. By then, it plans to double the number of charging stations in the city, says Anderson.
