**PRESS RELEASE**
COUNCILMEMBER BOB BLUMENFIELD UNVEILS THE FIRST PUBLIC ELECTRIC STREET SWEEPER IN USA
First of its kind is a step to sustainability
WEST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, CA – Pushing for innovations to reduce the impact of climate change, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, General Services Department General Manager and Chief Procurement Officer Tony Royster, and StreetsLA General Manager Keith Mozee unveiled the City’s newest electric street sweeper prototype, the EV Broom Bear. As the first of its kind, City innovators are working directly with manufacturers to ensure it will meet the needs of the City’s diverse neighborhoods.
The City worked with manufacturers, Haaker Equipment Co. and Elgin Sweeper Co., to develop, test, and evaluate the functions of the Broom Bear. During that testing period, feedback was directly sent to the manufacturer to improve durability and performance of that prototype unit. As a result of this partnership, the manufacturer was able to apply the data to swiftly develop the first generation, American made, EV Broom Bear.
“As Chair of the Budget, Finance, and Innovation Committee and former Chair of Public Works, I am proud that Los Angeles has invested more money in decarbonization efforts than any other city,” said Councilmember Blumenfield. “We have all seen the effects of climate change and Angelenos have demanded a clean carbon free city. In big and small ways, we are now working on delivering and ensuring the future of our Los Angeles.”
Keith Mozee from StreetsLA said, “We already have one of the cleanest natural compressed gas fleets in the nation- now we are basically going to zero emissions and be 100% clean. When we first started talking about going green and electric years ago, some looked at us as if we were talking about going to the moon. So now we are here, on the moon.”
Tony Royster of General Services stated, “Thanks to Councilmember Blumenfield for his great leadership and for having us move forward with electric street sweepers. GSD is very happy to be part of this partnership and have a place to help meet our goals set by the City Council and Mayor.”
Broom Bear has a Cascadia 570 HP electric motor at 750V DC, High Voltage System – CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co) batteries 399kVw capacity, 2 speed transmission for gradeability, 360 gallon water capacity, dual steering, front mounted level 2 charge port, and is able to complete a day’s worth of sweeping on one charge.
In 2022, the Los Angeles City Council voted to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. This plan, known as LA100, demonstrates that the City's goal of reaching 100 percent renewable electricity is achievable 10 years earlier than originally planned. In addition, the Council directed City departments to create an Electric Vehicle Master Plan to transition the over 10,000 vehicles into a green zero carbon fleet. This requires innovation for large scale industrial vehicles in addition to cars and trucks.
The Mayor and City Council have directed all City departments to mitigate the effects of climate change in the City. As Chair of the Budget, Finance, and Innovation Committee, Blumenfield is working diligently with all departments, especially the General Services Department and StreetsLA to electrify the City’s fleet.
###