Bay Area governments make big electric-vehicle buy

A group of San Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and water agencies is joining forces for what is being billed as one of the largest single government purchases of all-electric vehicles in the country.

The six cities, two counties and two water agencies have gone in together to buy 90 electric vehicles with the help of a $2.8 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional transportation agency. Some of the vehicles will be on display at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Bay Area Climate Collaborative Executive Director Rafael Reyes says the vehicles will save more than $500,000 in fuel costs and about 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over five years.

The collaborative—a public-private partnership started by three Bay Area mayors—developed the proposal for funding that was submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.