LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Clark County is set to add some new Ford Mustangs to its fleet, but these aren't your father's Mustangs.
The county commission voted last week to approve just over $2 million for the purchase of nearly 60 Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles.
The move is a step toward the county's goal to have a fully EV fleet of vehicles in place by 2050.
The overall goal: to help cut greenhouse emissions.
"In Clark County, the number two source of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation," says Ben Leffel, an assistant professor at UNLV's School of Public Policy and Leadership.
Leffel, an expert on sustainability, applauds the move by the county.
It follows steps taken by other public agencies in Southern Nevada in recent years to move toward hybrid or fully electric vehicles.
The city of Las Vegas has nine fully electric vehicles while Henderson has one, along with fourteen hybrid vehicles.
Boulder City also has some EVs, some which are used by its police department.
The EVs Clark County is set to purchase will be from Gaudin Ford.
Leffel says he just recently visited with a visiting contingent from Europe that has been impressed with sustainability efforts here in the Las Vegas Valley.
"Clark County has a very good sustainability staff," Leffler says. "They know what they're doing."
Last year, Nevada lawmakers passed a bill that didn't mandate government agencies purchase electric vehicles for their fleets, but did serve as a reminder to always look for the product that will last the longest.
Democrat Rochelle Nguyen, a state senator representing parts of northwest and central Las Vegas, says the county is doing the right thing by paying a little more up front for the new Mustangs.
"These vehicles are cleaner for the environment, and they do last longer," Nguyen says. "We're not telling any local governments they have to have EVs. We're telling them, as a state legislature, to look at what's going to make the most sense. Look at the air quality improvements that you're going to see in your community."
The cost of each of the 57 new Mustang Mach-Es is just under $36,000 per vehicle.
