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Page 2 of 5 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />BACKGROUND <br />The City of Redwood City's (City) Fleet Replacement Program is designed to provide a structure for <br />evaluating vehicles and equipment to replace them at the most economically advantageous point in their <br />life cycle. At pre-designated intervals, vehicles and equipment undergo a thorough evaluation including <br />but not limited to age, mileage, condition, maintenance history, downtime, anticipated future repairs, <br />usage, and vehicle capabilities. This program is also designed to assist user departments in evaluating their <br />fleet assets' operational deployment strategies to maximize operational efficiency. <br />The Public Works Services (PWS) Department facilitates the annual purchase of replacement patrol <br />vehicles for the Police Department (PD). The preferred vehicle over the past decade has been the Ford <br />Police Interceptor Utility (PIU) as it is designed specifically for law enforcement applications and is widely <br />used throughout the country by local, state, and federal agencies. Initial purchases of these vehicles were <br />limited to gas-powered models only. In recent years, PWS shifted to purchasing hybrid models to comply <br />with the City’s EV First! Policy, which requires staff to explore electric vehicle and hybrid options for <br />vehicle replacements when suitable to meet operational demands. The first hybrid PIUs in Redwood City’s <br />fleet went into service in 2023. There are currently four hybrid PIUs in the PD’s patrol fleet of 30 vehicles. <br />In fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 the City Council authorized the purchase of gas-powered patrol vehicle <br />replacements, a temporary exception to the EV First! Policy, after staff highlighted safety concerns raised <br />by the PD regarding the engine shut-off feature, which is standard in all hybrid models, creating a delayed <br />response. As a result, police patrol vehicle replacements were paused in FY2024-25 to allow staff time to <br />evaluate the effectiveness of implementing hybrid alternatives in police patrol operations. <br />The Redwood City Police Department has six patrol vehicles that are scheduled for replacement in Fiscal <br />Year (FY) 2025-26. The desired replacement vehicles will be gas powered 2026 model year Ford Police <br />Interceptor Utility vehicles with All-Wheel Drive capability to meet the rigorous demands of the Police <br />Department. <br />Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer of the Police Interceptor Utility, opens its order bank to <br />authorized dealers at limited intervals during each year. The timeframe for dealers to place orders for <br />customers (i.e. the City) is unpredictable, as Ford Motor Company will close its order bank once the <br />number of orders received reaches production capacity for a given model year. The order bank for the <br />desired 2026 model year Police Interceptor Utility is now open. Given that orders are being received from <br />public and private customers nationwide, staff must act swiftly to ensure competitive bids can be solicited <br />and receive purchasing authorization before the window of opportunity to procure the required vehicles <br />closes. Further delaying purchases of patrol vehicles will require PWS to buy additional vehicles in <br />subsequent years to keep up with its equipment replacement schedule, likely resulting in a higher <br />acquisition cost for the City. <br />7.E. - Page 2 of 19 <br />104