Leaders from 127 cities and 15 counties from across 38 states have joined the Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative and committed to purchasing more than 2,100 electric vehicles by the end of 2020.

The collaborative also announced plans to place a competitive bid on electric school buses by the end of this year, which will enable all electric school bus manufacturers to offer any public school system in the country access to equal, competitive prices.

“The clean transportation revolution is not a distant vision for the far-off future — it’s a reality hitting the streets of Los Angeles and cities around the world,” said Climate Mayors Founder and Co-Chair and Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti. “By pooling our purchasing power, Climate Mayors are sending a powerful message to the global car market: if you build electric vehicles, we will buy them.”

In 2018, Mayor Garcetti announced the launch of the Collaborative — an online portal that provides cities with a single, equal price for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure by aggregating the demand from Climate Mayors cities and other public agencies, along with expert policy and planning guidance. The number of cities has more than quintupled since that announcement.

Climate Mayors procurement partner Sourcewell will be releasing a new national solicitation for electric school buses by the end of the year. With more than 470,000 school buses operating across the country, lower prices and reduced administrative work will help school systems with smaller budgets provide their students with zero-emission transportation.

By transitioning city fleets to EVs, cities are leading by example: helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet, saving taxpayer money, improving public health, and reducing our nation’s dependence on oil. By the end of 2020, the EV commitments have the potential to:

• Cut gas usage by up to 1 million gallons each year;

• Transition to 25 million electric miles driven each year; and

• Add more than $75 million in purchasing power to the electric vehicle market.

In agreeing to purchase electric vehicles through the collaborative, cities and counties gain access to competitively-priced electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, as well as reduced-cost leasing options through state and federal tax credits.