Description
Since businesses and households are being asked to convert at least 50% of vehicles to zero emission vehicles by 2030, municipalities can do their part by meeting or exceeding that target in their corporate fleets. Important initial steps in this work include identifying barriers to fleet transition, gathering and analyzing data on fleet performance and conversion options, and identifying funding for this work. Particular focus should be given to the vehicles that produce the most GHGs.
This action will be led by the Region of Waterloo and Area Municipalities Please see below for the most recent publicly available updates.
THE REGION OF WATERLOO
The Region of Waterloo adopted its first Corporate Climate Action Plan in 2025 with a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions from energy sources by 2050. An action identified within this 5-year plan is to establish a Green Fleet Policy, to support the adoption of green fleet technology into municipal fleet.
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The City of Cambridge's corporate vehicle and equipment emissions are 24% of Cambridge's total 2023 GHG emissions. Given asset management and vehicle lifespans, as well as current unavailability of specialized and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles (eg. electric snowplows) it is not possible to convert 50% of municipal vehicles by 2030.
- The corporate Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan Actions call for Fleet Data Analysis, Fleet Strategy implementation, and Right-sizing Procedures.
- The City has developed a Fleet Strategy (Council approved September 2025) to procure electric vehicles and equipment as a standard practice along with dedicated fleet charging infrastructure.
- As of 2025, the City has 15 electric vehicles and three ice resurfacers. Autonomous mowing units (2) and electric ice edging equipment (5) are also in operational use.
CITY OF KITCHENER
Recognizing that not all vehicles have a zero-emission options, the City of Kitchener continues to advance the approach to electrify where and when the option is available. As of 2024, 70% of the passenger car fleet (this includes cars and SUVs) has been electrified (Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV) resulting in a 75% reduction in maintenance and fuel costs compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles (comparison included 6 BEV and 6 ICE within similar job function and daily kilometers driven).
The City’s Preventive Maintenance Policy and Utilization Policy combine to ensure vehicles and equipment are running optimally/efficiently and meet expectations in terms of use – ensuring vehicles and equipment are not added unnecessarily to the fleet without justification. The Green Fleet policy ensures the City purchase’s environmentally friendly alternatives and investigates new product innovations. The City is able to monitor adherence to these policies through the use of telematics which monitors fuel consumption, utilization as well as identifies poor driving behaviours that result in increased fuel consumption (e.g. excessive idling, hard acceleration, hard braking, speeding etc.). Additionally, City of Kitchener is initiating a Corporate Sustainable Fleet Transition Strategy.
As of 2024, The City of Kitchener's light-duty vehicle fleet includes:
- 16 Electric Cars;
- 2 Electric Cargo Vans; and
- 15 Hybrid SUVs.
CITY OF WATERLOO
The City of Waterloo has hired a fleet manager who is working towards this transition.
- The City of Waterloo currently owns or has purchased 14 fully electric vehicles (including 4 UTVs) and two hybrid vehicles.
- All building standards inspection vehicles are electric.
- In 2023 Council approved a $25,000/year for 10 year budget for electric vehicles and charging stations.
Addition GHG-reduction initiatives include:
- Diesel engines purchased conform to the lowest GHG gas output that meet operational needs.
- Fleet is installing telematics equipment to reduce idling, utilization, speeding, hard breaking, and hard cornering to reduce fuel use (currently in 180 vehicles).
- The City of Waterloo has purchased a 60 foot bucket truck with electric hydraulics to avoid emissions during long idle times.
- Two fleet vehicles had solar power installations in 2020.
- Fleet has introduced a “right-sizing” exercise when purchasing new vehicles to avoid over-sizing vehicles.
- Fleet uses the EMDEC fleet management system to properly track service needs and keep the vehicles running as efficiently as possible.
- In 2022 the City of Waterloo purchased its first electric lawnmower.
TOWNSHIP OF WOOLWICH
The Township of Woolwich is working towards electrifying its fleet vehicles, with a goal of having 50% electric light duty vehicles by 2030, and 100% by 2050. We are continuing to explore options for electrifying heavy-duty vehicles.
Currently, Woolwich has:
- 1 electric ice resurfacer
- 1 hybrid vehicle
- 1 electric vehicle
The Woolwich Memorial Center (WMC) has been developed to accommodate EV charging infrastructure and currently has one private Level 2 charging station. There are plans to add additional chargers in the near future.
TOWNSHIP OF WELLESLEY
We recognize that not all vehicles have a zero-emission option and the Township will continue to work towards advancing our approach to zero emission passenger vehicles where feasible.