GREENFIELD — The evening before the city secured its second fully electric vehicle on Wednesday, Energy and Sustainability Director Carole Collins joined city councilors serving on the Economic Development Committee to discuss Greenfield’s plan to fully electrify its 106-vehicle fleet.

“Two down, 104 more to go,” Precinct 2 Councilor Rachel Gordon said.

Announcing the city’s purchase of a 2024 all-wheel drive Chevrolet Blazer for Building Inspector Mark Snow, Collins noted that the city, in 2010, was one of the first in Massachusetts to be designated a Green Community by the state’s Department of Energy Resources. Collins noted that this includes a commitment to fuel efficiency and an investment in renewable energy.

The Chevy Blazer, Collins noted, is one of the first — and only — electric vehicle models that is sold with design options tailored for police use.

“They are making that model into a police vehicle, so that is the goal. Hopefully [Greenfield Police] will like it, it meets their needs and we can start with that,” Collins said. “We already have some tentative plans in the works to get one for the Police Department to use with a charger, and that meets, again, their specific unique needs.”

Discussing the electrification of city vehicles with Collins, councilors raised questions about their reliability, price and suitability for various city roles. When Gordon asked how the up-front costs to buy electric vehicles compare to gas-powered municipal cars and trucks, Collins responded that the city can receive a roughly $4,000 tax credit on the purchase of electric cars — along with an additional state tax credit — but that the price of a new electric car ranges from $35,000 to $50,000 before incentives.

Since 2008, Collins said the city has reduced its municipal energy consumption by 28.3%, with five of its 18 buildings operating electrically and two more in the process of conversion. As of Wednesday afternoon, its two electric vehicles — used for the Health and Building Inspections departments — are parked at the Sanderson Street lot, where a Level 2 charger is stationed.

Precinct 9 City Councilor Derek Helie noted that as the city continues to work toward a fully electric fleet, it must complete an assessment of the municipal sites at which the vehicles are charged to ensure they have the electrical capacity needed.

“We have old buildings. ... One of my concerns is making sure we’re doing a thorough audit and we’re also not putting too much strain on that facility, where they don’t have the power for something else that they might need down the line,” Helie said. “Another thing to consider ... is making sure that the chargers are also part of the backup generator, so if we lose power, they still charge.”

When At-Large Councilor John Garrett asked if the city’s electrification plans would extend to the School Department’s vehicles, Mayor Ginny Desorgher chimed in, noting that by city policy, the purchase of virtually anything that “turns on” or “plugs in” must go through Collins.

In previous discussions about electric vehicles, acting Police Chief Todd Dodge said while he welcomes the idea of an electric fleet, he has some concerns with the vehicles’ suitability for police work. He noted the cost of installing electric vehicle chargers at the Police Station, the time vehicles need to spend charging at the station between shifts, and uncertainty about their reliability as important aspects to consider.

“I’m excited to give it a try and I’m pretty confident that the city will, but there’s going to likely be a considerable initial investment to get this going. All I can say is we won’t know how successful this will be until we try it,” Dodge said. “We’ve got to fight the war on global warming, but we have a unique job, and that job is entirely dependent on that car.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.