HELENA — At a city administrative meeting earlier this summer, the commission decided to appropriate funds for an electric truck as part of the city’s electric vehicle pilot project.
Leea Anderson, the City of Helena environmental regulation pretreatment manager, says, "We are hoping to learn how the modern electric vehicle will work with the city’s current processes, what departments it will work for, how it could work for them, and if it does work for everybody.”
(WATCH: City of Helena launches electric vehicle pilot program)
The city commission has appropriated $60,000 from the general fund cash reserves for the project.
Currently, the city has two first-generation electric vehicles: an electric car and an electric street sweeper.
The pros of the pilot vehicle are that its charge should last for around a week of driving, and “it has the ability to plug tools into it, so we potentially won't have to use generators and things like that,” said Anderson.
The project also tests out the ability of various facilities to accommodate charging of the vehicle, and whether it can stand Montana’s bitter winter, a big concern.
Anderson says they wonder, “How the cold weather affects it, if it is reduced by half, or what its capacity is.”
Over in East Helena, they are wrapping up an electric vehicle test of their own with a school bus.
Dan Rispens, the East Helena superintendent, says, “It is a little bit of an experiment for us just to try out the technology; it is new and different than what we are used to.”
It faces the winter just fine, though they did notice it does not go as far on a charge.
Rispens says electric buses across the state, "noticed a bit of a diminished range in the colder weather, but really no major issues.”
The city aims to have a Ford Lightning electric truck introduced to the team by the end of September to take advantage of EV tax credits.
“I think it is important for the city to explore these other sustainable opportunities because we won’t know unless we do pilot projects like this,” said Anderson.
