St. John's council delays vote on buying electric cars

The City of St. John's is holding off on a plan to buy two electric cars, after deciding to consult with lawyers on the matter first.

The city was expected to vote on a recommendation on Monday to buy two electric Nissan Leafs for its parking enforcement team.

• St. John's council to vote on buying 2 electric cars

However, council chose instead to defer the vote until at least next week.

Coun. Dave Lane said the city wants to consult with lawyers to see if a request for proposals should be issued before moving ahead with the pilot project

"We had a company that is well suited for this project and that are well suited to make the charging stations that we are looking for," he said.

"But we want to make sure that if there are other companies in the city that are selling electric vehicles, that we are following the right process."

If the city does buy the electric cars, it won't be the first time they've moved away from vehicles that rely solely on fuel.

In 2007, the city added some hybrid sport utility vehicles to its fleet.