The City of Dallas has selected Ford’s commercial division to help move the city’s climate goals forward, aiming to improve air quality by electrifying its vehicle fleet by 2040. Ford Pro and America’s fourth-largest metro area entered into a 10-year agreement to grow and manage EV charging infrastructure for its fleet operations.

In 2020, the City of Dallas approved a Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP) that includes efforts to reduce carbon emissions in part by installing EV chargers throughout the city and adding light-duty EVs to its fleet of 5400 vehicles.

“The City of Dallas is committed to a clean, safe, and healthy environment, and we’re making great strides in our efforts to reduce emissions and improve air quality,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “This agreement with Ford Pro marks a significant milestone and will help our city avoid energy waste and save money on energy costs.”

As part of the agreement, Ford Pro chargers will be installed at the city’s worksites and Ford Pro smart charging software and hardware will manage EV charging performance to ensure fleet vehicles are charged optimally and ready for work when needed.

“EV adoption is on the rise with state and local government fleets, and we’re proud to provide smart charging software and hardware to help electrify one of the Lone Star State’s biggest cities in one of America’s biggest metro areas,” said Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis. “The impact software can have on EV charging can be substantial, helping public agencies like the City of Dallas not only manage charging infrastructure today but help determine where chargers may be needed in the future.”

Four million vehicles are operated by state and local governments in the U.S., according to Federal Highway Administration data. The U.S. government has called for most federal vehicle purchases to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, a trend that many state and local governments may be likely to mirror. Ford Pro Charging already has hundreds of local government customers.

State and local governments are not only adding EVs to their fleets but also seeking high-quality EV chargers and smart charging software to manage it effectively. This shift may be driven in part by rising fuel costs, potentially lower operational costs provided by EVs, and a match of good use cases for how municipal agencies use EVs, according to Ford Pro.

Ford says it is the leading global commercial vehicle brand and America’s best-selling line of commercial vehicles for 39 consecutive years, featuring commercial trucks and vans integrated with Ford Pro software and services. This includes America’s best-selling electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning, and electric van, the E-Transit.

At the ACT Expo 2024 this week, Ford Pro is showing the E-Transit and F-150 Lightning, as well as 80-  and 48-A charging hardware solutions for depot and workplace home charging.