Northbrook Park District Purchases First Fully Electric Vehicle

NORTHBROOK, IL — Looking to be on the cutting edge of electric vehicles, the Northbrook Park District recently made a purchase in that pursuit. NPD bought its first fully electric vehicle, a new 2024 Ford E transit T350 cargo van, which is substituting a 2008 gasoline-powered truck on a trial basis, according to officials.

"The idea is to see how well this new cargo van works for us, in hopes of adding additional electric vehicles as the need arises," said Randy Truhlar, facilities and fleet manager for the district, who added that the district had several meetings with Ford's electric vehicle division prior to the purchase. "We want to be a leader in this frontier, and we also want to do our due diligence in making sure it suits our needs."

An electric vehicle charger has been installed in the maintenance garage of the Joe Doud Administration building at 545 Academy Drive. The cargo van will be charged during off-peak hours to utilize lower electric rates.

The park district currently has 29 vehicles in its fleet, including pickup trucks, dump trucks, box trucks and cars. The electric cargo van will primarily be used by the trades division staff.