Last week, the city of Roanoke, Va., purchased 11 low-mileage used all-electric Nissan Leaf vehicles to use in its Vehicle Replacement Program.

As a result of the elimination of underused assets, the city estimates the fuel and maintenance savings, and the surplus value of the replaced cars, the city will reap significant savings. In specific, the purchase of the first 11 vehicles is expected to avoid approximately $150,000 in vehicle replacement costs in addition to providing the ongoing savings of approximately 80 percent in energy and maintenance costs, and it is projected to pay for itself in just over a year.

Prior to purchasing the vehicles, the city's Fleet Management Division identified a number of low-use vehicles that were ready for replacement, reassessed its normal replacement strategies, and conducted a data analysis of the vehicle use patterns to devise a new vehicle sharing plan, which reduced the number of vehicles that needed replacing. That is, the vehicles will be available for staff from a number of different job functions to drive on an as-needed basis, rather than having an individual vehicle for each individual employee.

"Since the Leaf does not have a tail pipe, it eliminates toxic emissions and greatly improves community air quality," said Neil Boyle, the city's sustainability coordinator.

The city eventually plans to purchase another five to 10 electric vehicles (EVs) after a review period of the current purchase program.

The move is another in the city's efforts to go green, following up on the purchase of electric and gas/electric hybrid vehicles for the parking enforcement department.

To provide power for the new vehicles, the city has already installed more charging stations, which are in addition to the stations that are already in place for the parking enforcement vehicles. These are in addition to charging stations that the city began installing in 2014 for citizens to recharge their own EVs.

In addition, the city has been involved in a number of other green programs over the years, including solar-powered school flashers, solar-powered pedestrian crossings, solar-powered street arrow boards, LED traffic signals and street lights, and replacing lighting in a number of municipal buildings with LED lights.