About half of Frederick County’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, and the county government plans to address that, in part, by replacing parts of its vehicle fleet with electric vehicles over the next decade.

The county executive announced two plans last week: one to transition to a county vehicle fleet that’s powered by electricity and biofuel, and another to make sure the county is ready for more electric vehicles on the road.

“With these plans, we are turning sustainability ideals into meaningful actions,” said County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, a Democrat. “As our transportation infrastructure evolves, we not only pave the way for ‘greener’ vehicles, we also support innovation and economic growth. Our goal is to ensure a resilient future for Frederick County’s businesses and residents.”

A Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments study performed in 2020 found that about 48% of Frederick County’s emissions come from the transportation sector, according to the county.

The plan includes electrifying 183 of the county’s 876 fleet vehicles as they are all replaced over the next 12 years. That amounts to just over 20% of the fleet. The plan excludes police vehicles and other heavy-duty or light-duty trucks used for services like snow plowing.

The Frederick News-Post reported that Frederick County’s plan is estimated to cost $1.4 million.

The number of vehicles replaced with electric or other alternative fuels is much more likely to increase rather than decrease, said Annmarie Creamer, a spokeswoman for the county’s Division of Energy and Environment.

As technology improves, prices decrease, and federal or state funding becomes available, she said, it may become possible for the county to replace even more of its vehicles with electric ones.

“We phase them [vehicles] out on a regular schedule. That gives us time to continually look at this math and make these adjustments,” Creamer said.

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