A new report from PennEnvironment shows local and state governments in Pennsylvania could save up to $360 million over the next 10 years by switching retiring fleet vehicles to electric models…

Paulina Jaramillo, a professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University and wasn’t involved in the report, said the strategy of transitioning government fleets to EVs is reasonable. However, she pointed out the cost-savings could be reduced where more infrastructure for these vehicles is needed to be built.

“The problem is that those benefits are spread over time but you need to pay for the infrastructure now, so how are you gonna get that cash in hand?” she said.

She mentioned the report identified state and federal incentives for electrification in the Inflation Reduction Act – such as the Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit– that could help make the switch to EVs. The incentives could also help to build the needed charging infrastructure for EVs.