Burnaby purchases 27 new electric automobiles: Chevrolet Bolt EUV

It’s not the range the metropolis needs, but it’s something.

Just after facing numerous delays in procuring electric automobiles, Burnaby now has a deal to invest in 27 EVs for its fleet.

Metropolis council accepted an buy of about $1.28 million from TransCan Leasing Corp. for 27 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (electric powered utility car or truck) LTs at a meeting on March 28.

“We are cautiously optimistic that they will be ready to supply 27 autos through 2023,” the city’s standard manager of engineering, Jozsef Dioszeghy, instructed councillors at the assembly. “And this is actually a much cry from how a lot of motor vehicles we would preferably like to get in in 2023.”

Dioszeghy explained the purchase for the Bolt EUVs are to swap an order of Kia Souls that wasn’t loaded.

He claimed the metropolis “rightly” predicted the electrical motor vehicle marketplace would be in a position to provide about 100 EVs when the metropolis built its 100-stall EV parking ton.

“Unfortunately, that did not take place,” Dioszeghy explained. “In simple fact, the decided on provider at the time, this yr did not even respond to our tender connect with. And so that’s why the finest we can do, at this point in time, (is) to make an arrangement with a further provider for 27 electrical motor vehicles for 2023 delivery.”

The metropolis, together with a lot of shoppers, has run into problems buying electrical autos.

In 2021, the town procured and received 9 Kia Soul EVs, but in 2022, a request for 15 far more Kia Souls “received no bids due to deficiency of sector availability,” in accordance to Cole Wagner, town community affairs officer.

In 2023, the town asked for proposals for 30 Kia Niros, or an equal option, and TransCan Leasing bid with the 27 Chevy Bolts. That was the bid acknowledged by council in March.

The metropolis has not paid out for any autos that weren’t shipped, Wagner added.

The city’s fleet experienced about 760 autos complete, according to city reviews from December of very last calendar year.

TransCan Leasing suggested the metropolis, in accordance to a personnel report, that the motor vehicles may well not be shipped at the same time owing to “global source chain issues” and noted it is achievable some of the 2023 types will be transformed to 2024 versions “dependent upon availability at time of ordering and shipping.”

Town team will seek out prospective rebates from greater concentrations of federal government.

Are the EUVs the finest selection?

Burnaby Citizens Affiliation Coun. Alison Gu requested if those people Bolt EUVs have been the finest option for the city’s fleet.

“Why the EUV model?” Gu asked. “It’s a crossover it’s more substantial it is far more high-priced. Why not just go with the Bolt? My knowing is that the city doesn’t essentially want a major trunk space.”

The Bolt EUV is a compact crossover, and the Bolt EV is a hatchback.

Dioszeghy replied team had been involved no matter whether the cars would be big more than enough.

“It’s definitely not just transporting one or much more travellers, but also we have machines, and we have drawings that under a lot of conditions, on web site, we have to have adequate space to open it and search at it,” he mentioned, including a lesser, regular Bolt “would not be enough.”

Gu noted Vancouver’s fireplace department drives “tiny tiny intelligent car electric powered cars and trucks.” (Vancouver has a single of the world’s to start with electric firetrucks.)

“I don’t want us to go past our usually means,” Gu said.

“I’m just impressed that we can discover 27 electric automobiles of any type,” Mayor Mike Hurley reported.