Baltimore County government will begin replacing its current fleet of vehicles with hybrid or electric vehicles, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. announced in an executive order on Thursday.
The move is part of an effort to reduce the county’s fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions across three categories: buildings and energy; transportation; and waste.
“We recognize our obligation to a cleaner, greener and more sustainable Baltimore County for this and future generations, which is why I’m committed to ensuring Baltimore County remains a statewide sustainability leader,” Olszewski said in a statement. “In setting this new goal, Baltimore County will lead by example and increase the number electric vehicles on our roads and support long-term efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and combat climate change.”
Baltimore County government’s on-road fleet of vehicles and equipment account for about 20% of the local government’s greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of Olszewski’s new executive order, Baltimore County will replace at least 10% of its passenger fleet with electric vehicles by 2030.
Baltimore County government will replace its remaining passenger vehicles with hybrid vehicles.
Baltimore County will install more charging infrastructure to support the government’s electric vehicles.
The shift to electric vehicles is one of Baltimore County’s latest steps toward making county government more environmentally sustainable.
Baltimore County already partnered with BGE in March 2021 to install electric vehicle charging stations at public sites across the county.
Last week, Baltimore County launched its new Towson Loop circulator buses to provide free public transportation around the Towson area and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from car traffic.
“From day one, I have been committed to improving transit opportunities across Baltimore County so that our residents can more easily move around, and so that we reduce our impact on the planet,” Olszewski said Oct. 12 during the launch of the new buses.
Olszewski in 2019 appointed the county’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, Jennifer Aiosa, to oversee the development of a Climate Action Plan for Baltimore County. The plan, which covers topics such as reducing energy consumption, and promoting green infrastructure and sustainable growth policies.
