‘Broom Bear’ starts service as Boulder’s first all-electric street sweeper

The City of Boulder is proud to announce the deployment of a new fully electric street sweeper. It will serve as the city's main street sweeper, replacing a diesel-powered street sweeper that has reached end-of-life milestones.

Why Upgrade a Street Sweeper?

A street sweeper may be the last vehicle you'd think to convert to electric power, but large vehicles like these are among the most fuel-intensive pieces of equipment the city operates.

Updating this heavy-duty vehicle will have an outsized impact on reducing emissions and improving local air quality, helping make progress toward both Boulder's transportation vision and climate goals.

Broom Bear Is Out and About!

The sweeper, part of the 'Broom Bear' line named by the manufacturer, is now in service as part of our active sweeper fleet, which also includes one plug-in hybrid sweeper and one mini sweeper for sidewalks and multi-use paths. We will use it as our main sweeper to help the city meet emissions goals.

The diesel-powered sweeper will remain in the city's fleet as backup equipment.

This new equipment represents Boulder's continued commitment to long-term fleet replacement, innovation, and sustainability while maintaining core services community members rely on every day.

Funding Fleet Maintenance

It can take years for heavy-duty vehicles to be manufactured and delivered. Fleet replacement decisions are typically made years in advance, before future budget year conditions are fully known. The city works to balance sustainability goals with fiscal stewardship. We continue to evaluate new and replacement vehicles carefully to ensure they provide operational value alongside environmental benefits, especially in a constrained budget environment.

Learn More

From maintaining streets and multi-use paths to responding to snow and ice events, repairing infrastructure, sweeping streets and supporting multimodal transportation systems, the city provides essential services that help keep the community safe, connected and moving year-round.

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