Check out what the PUC engineers will soon be driving!

In a first step into electric vehicle technology, PUC will acquire at least nine Volkswagen ID.4 SUVs in 2022

PUC is buying nine of these Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUVs as it dips a toe into electrifying its fleet. Model configuration may not be exactly as illustratedSupplied photo

As a first step toward electrification of its vehicular fleet, PUC Services Inc. will acquire at least nine fully electric vehicles in 2022.

"Right now, what's available in the market is the lighter-duty vehicles," president and chief executive officer Rob Brewer tells SooToday.

"What we've been able to source for [2022] are the mid-sized SUV-type vehicles."

PUC's initial toe in the electric-fleet waters will be Volkswagen ID-4 SUVs.

The ID.4 sells for about $45,000 and has a driving range of up to 400 kilometres.

The manufacturer says it can go as far as 100 kilometres after 10 minutes at a public DC fast-charger.

"It's about an equivalent size to the Chevy Equinox that we've traditionally used," Brewer says.

"This will be for our engineering group, for some of our plant use at the water plant and the wastewater plant."

"In subsequent years, we expect there will be pickup trucks available as well. We'll be migrating our fleet that way once they're available."

Will PUC ever have a fully-electric fleet, including its large service trucks?

"We're going to go as far as makes sense for our operations group. I would think it would be a very high proportion."

"But what do you do in the event of a significant storm? Relying on electricity that you might be in the process of having to repair might be a challenge," Brewer told us.

"I think there will always be some alternate-fuel vehicles that we use, something like the current diesel ones or hydrogen in the future. But I think what you're going to see over the next three to five years, we're going to move a significant amount of our smaller fleet to electric. And then we'll be looking for options to move some of our larger fleet as well."

As part of its plan to go carbon-neutral, PUC will also be installing more than 20 chargers at PUC facilities this year.

Ward 1 Coun. Sandra Hollingsworth, a member of the PUC board, is enthusiastic about the new electric vehicles.

"I shouldn't say this, but I hope that the city will maybe contact you and ask you more questions about the vehicles," Hollingsowrth said.