KSHB: KCFD adds fleet of 47 electric non-emergency vehicles
Addi Weakley, KSHB
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department introduced a fleet of 47 electric vehicles Monday morning as part of the city’s “ongoing commitment to sustainability and protecting our environment long-term,” per Mayor Quinton Lucas.
Big picture, the city promises the fleet of Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles will be safer, cleaner and more affordable.
“One of our city’s goals is to be environmentally sustainable and carbon neutral by 2040 and to make sure our entire fleet of electric vehicles are installed by 2030,” Lucas said. “Right now, thanks to City Manager Brian Platt, we already have an order that every new vehicle purchased, if there’s an electric vehicle model, needs to actually be electric.”
The Mach-Es will be used for non-emergency purposes such as visiting fire incidents/scenes, inspecting dangerous buildings and other city services.
Watching his vision in motion, Platt said Monday morning was “an exciting moment.”
“Reducing harmful emissions from vehicles, from buildings, from all the things that happen in a city, is one of the many ways that we’re helping improve quality of life and air quality in Kansas City,” Platt said.
KCFD Interim Fire Chief Ross Grundyson was transparent about his initial skepticism of the project.
However, he said the more research he did, the more he felt the project would be positive for the community. He also said it helped that each car is anticipated to save $14,000 over its lifetime for a total savings of nearly $600,000.
“So certainly it impacts the budget in a positive way on top of being environmentally sound, so we’re excited about that,” Grundyson said.
Other initiatives KCMO has in the works, according to Platt, include:
Converting street lights, which Platt reports is equivalent to taking 6,000 cars off the road
Planting 10,000 trees
Passing some of the “strongest building code energy efficiency regulations” in the United States in City Council
Platt is confident all of this work will be an “example nationally for how cities can improve our environment, become leaders in sustainability and do better for our residents and our visitors.”
Becoming a national leader is specifically of interest to Lucas as the city approaches the 2026 World Cup, initiating discussions encouraging other entities, such as rental car and ride-share services, to go electric.
“Those conversations have been fruitful so far, and we look forward to, as we’ve done on any number of things, to lead here in Kansas City,” Lucas said.
In addition to the fire department, Lucas says the city is working to convert buses, public works and trash vehicles to electric.
“We look forward to more progress ahead,” Lucas said.
The KCMO Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, revealed in 2022, commits the city to acting urgently “to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change,” especially after the city, reportedly, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 25% over the past 15 years.
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