King County aims to convert to all-electric fleet by 2040, maybe sooner

KING COUNTY -- A push to speed up a conversion to electric vehicles for every King County government vehicle has hit a speed bump.

Some county council members have been pushing to move up the fleetwide conversion by five years -- from 2040 to 2035. That includes about 2,000 vehicles and hundreds of buses.

King County Metro told council committee members Tuesday that electrification and infrastructure upgrades -- including charging stations -- would require additional funding.

"I don’t think we can wait that long," said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, commenting on Metro's goal of moving to all electric buses by 2040.

King County Metro's Diane Carlson offered to do more analysis. In a few months, she could have a better idea of what it would take to try to speed up the conversion.

For now, the King County supplemental budget proposal calls for the EV switch in 2040.

Councilmember Dave Upthegrove agreed with Metro's concerns about possible trade offs, including the impact on services.

"We want to make sure we get best climate bang for the buck," Upthegrove said.

Environmentalist groups said that in addition to switching to electric, the county needs a comprehensive plan to fight greenhouse emissions. And that plan should include cities and counties working together.

"It's one out of hundreds of things that need to be done ... I’m all for it, but it's not enough," said Elizabeth Burton, with People for Climate Action.

Burton spoke after addressing committee members holding a Mobility an Environment Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon.

"We need a buckshot approach, not a silver bullet approach to our climate action needs," said Court Olson, with People for Climate Action. "...and electric vehicle transition is one of a couple hundred efforts that need to be implemented."

The electric vehicle conversion by 2040 is part of the county's climate change legislation included in its proposed $450 million budget.

The King County Council is expected to vote on the budget Wednesday morning.