City of Hammond and Mike Albert Partner on New Green Fleet
Mike Albert Fleet Solutions and the City of Hammond worked as part of a broader energy conservation program to replace their aging fleet of 250 vehicles with new energy efficient models, 120 running on bi-fuel propane.
In 2018, The City of Hammond committed to going green in an effort to cut emissions, save money, and improve the safety and efficiency of their city vehicles. As part of this effort, they partnered with Mike Albert Fleet Solutions to replace over 250 vehicles over 4 years with alternative fuel vehicles.
The City of Hammond partnered with Leopardo Energy, a firm that works with municipalities to guide them on a strategy and benefits of replacing aged infrastructure like fleet, metering systems, lighting, and more. Leopardo performed a search for a fleet management company to provide expertise and flexibility specific to vehicle fleet operation, funding, cycle optimization, and insights. Mike Albert Fleet Solutions fit the bill and entered the partnership as the exclusive fleet provider and expert on all vehicle fleet matters.
In partnership, all worked to design a fleet strategy that allowed the City of Hammond to replace a larger percentage of their fleet at one time. Mike Albert improved the city’s cash flow by providing creative long-term financing spreading payments for the use of the vehicles over their useful lifecycle, as opposed to the legacy strategy ‘which would require Hammond to pay for the entire vehicle up front. The entire City of Hammond fleet will be replaced over 4 phases. 80 new vehicle went into service in Phase 1 providing new vehicles to Police and various groups within Public Works.
According to Heather Garay, City of Hammond Controller, “We will be able to add 250 new vehicles to create a completely green fleet. This will help us reduce our carbon footprint and increase savings by reducing fuel costs. All upgrades will lead to a reduction in energy costs, reduction in fuel usage, reduction in maintenance for vehicles and HVAC in our buildings. These improvements will pay for themselves and give the city an additional sixteen million dollars to spend however they want,” Garay told the guests at the program unveiling in front of the Civic Center.”
Jeff Hart, President of Mike Albert Fleet Solutions said “we’re proud and excited about our partnership with the City of Hammond, and the opportunity to be part of something that’s both good for the environment and will bring long-term economic value to the city.
