8.2. ECCSR 11-16-2016Green City Fleet Guide
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An alternative fuel vehicle is a vehicle that runs on
a fuel other than "traditional"
petroleum fuels (gasoline or diesel); and also refers
to any technology of powering an engine that does
not involve solely petroleum.
Fuel Cell Vehicles
Fuel cell vehicles (FEVs) use hydrogen gas to
power an electric motor. Unlike conventional
vehicles which run on gasoline or diesel, fuel cell
cars and trucks combine hydrogen and oxygen
to produce electricity, which runs a motor.
Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs/EVs) are
powered only by one or more electric motors.
They receive electricity by plugging into an
outlet and store it in batteries. They consume
no petroleum-based fuel while driving and
produce no tailpipe emissions.
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Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) uses
rechargeable batteries to power an electric
motor, plug into the electric outlet to charge,
and use a petroleum based or alternative fuel to
power an internal combustion engines (ICE) or
other propulsion source.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine an
ICE or other propulsion source with batteries,
regenerative braking, and an electric motor to
provide high fuel economy. They rely on a
petroleum-based or alternative fuel for power
and are not plugged in to charge. HEV batteries
are charged by the ICE or other propulsion
source and during regenerative braking.
The City of Elk River received a SEED grant from the Metro Clean Energy Resource Team to
create this guide. The goal is to assist communities with the tools needed to create greener city
fleets. The guide has a strong focus on electric vehicles because we see that as the technology
of today and the future.
Conduct a Fleet Inventory
Right Size your fleet
Initiate a No Idling Policy
Educate your drivers to Drive Efficiently
Conduct Regular Maintenance
Convert to Biofules
Join Project Green Fleet to reduced heavy diesel emissions
Encourage Car Pooling, Telecommuting, and non-vehicle commuting
Additional Fuel Efficient Fleet Suggestions
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Numerous international auto makers such as Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet, and Tesla have invested into the
market for alternative fuel vehicles. Their alternative fuel vehicles come in various shapes, sizes, prices, and
ranges.
For example:
*Based on 45% highway, 55% city driving, 15,000 annual miles and current fuel prices.
For more pricing visit Drive Electric MN or FuelEconomy.gov.
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What’s on the market for Electric Vehicles?
Nissan Leaf 2017 Tesla Model X 2016
Model Type MSRP Price After Tax
Credit
Total Range
(Miles)
MPGe/MPG Annual Fuel
Cost*
Nissan Leaf All-Electric $29,010 $21,510 84 or 107 112/114 MPGe $600
BMW i3 All-Electric $42,400 $34,900 81 or 150 118/124 MPGe $550
Tesla Model S All-Electric $66,000 $58,500 208 or 315 89/99 MPGe $650-750
Ford Focus All-Electric $29,120 $21,620 100 105 MPGe $600
Chevrolet Bolt All-Electric $36,620 $29,120 238 119 MPGe $550
Chevrolet Volt Plug-in Hybrid $33,220 $29,720 53 electric
420 combined
106 MPGe
42 MPG
$650
Forc C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid $31,950 $27,763 21 electric
550 combined
88 MPGe
38 MPG
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High Fuel Economy, Low Fuel Cost
PEVs or EVs can reduce your fuel costs dramatically.
Depending on how they’re driven, today’s PEVs can
exceed 100 MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline
equivalent).
Energy Security
PEVs can help make the United States more energy
independent. Today, our cars depend almost entirely on
petroleum. However, U.S. petroleum production hasn’t
kept pace with demand, so we import more than 60% of
our petroleum. The transportation sector accounts for
two-thirds of our petroleum consumption. With much
of the world’s petroleum reserves located in politically
volatile countries, our reliance on petroleum make us
vulnerable to price spikes and supply disruptions. PEVs
help reduce this threat because almost all U.S. electricity
is produced from domestic coal, nuclear, natural gas,
and renewable sources.
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Plug-In Electric Vehicle Benefits
High Performance
PEVs in all-electric mode are much quieter than
conventional vehicles, and, unlike conventional
vehicles, PEVs produce maximum torque and
smooth acceleration from a full stop.
Flexible Fueling
With PEVs, you have other options to fuel
your car. A network of public PEV
charging stations is being established in the
cities, in both public and private sectors.
This enable you to top off your PEV’s
batteries in a few hours or half hour with
fast-charging stations while you work or
shop. Please visit this link to learn more
about the different charging stations.
Low Emissions
PEVs can help keep your community and your
world clean. Conventional vehicle emissions
create smog-forming pollutants such as
nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases (GHGs),
primarily carbon dioxide. When PEVs are
driven in all-electric mode, they produce zero
emissions—a great pollution reduction benefit
for urban areas.
Info Credit:
U.S. Department of Energy
Mode Coast Per Mile
(Cents)
200 miles cost
(dollars)
Electric 3-5 $6-10
Gas 14 $28
Maintenance
EVs typically require less maintenance than
conventional vehicles. The battery, motor, and
associated electronics require little to no regular
maintenance; there are fewer fluids to change;
brake wear is significantly reduced, due to
regenerative braking; and there are far fewer
moving parts, relative to a conventional gasoline
engine.
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You can reduce the cost of purchasing PEVs through government
incentives. The federal Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Ve-
hicle Tax Credit is available for PEV purchases. It provides a tax
credit of $2,500 to $7,500 for new PEV purchases, with the specific
credit amount determined by the size of the vehicle and the capacity
of its battery. All of the currently available light-duty PEVs qualify
for a $7,500 credit. Moreover, depending on your state, you may
qualify for state and local incentives.
California transit agency adds it first all-electric buses
City of Los Angeles’s Electric Fleet
Germany Needs Emissions-Free Car Fleet by 2030, Official Says
Ontario Paves the Way For Electric Vehicles
British Columbia’s new incentive to make clean energy vehicles more affordable
Hyundai to Launch Its First Battery-powered Electric Car in 2016
Japan now has more electric car charge points than petrol stations
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National & Global Trends
Financial Incentives
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Community Comparison
Partnership Resources
The City of Elk River created an online survey with
nine questions to evaluate Minnesota communities’
fleets. Through the GreenStep Cities email alias, we
sent out the survey to city staffs. Eighteen
communities including Woodbury, Eden Prairie,
Maplewood, Red Lake Nation, Rogers, Arden Hills,
Mounds View, Shoreview, Coon Rapids,
Rosemount, St. Anthony, Hastings, Fridley,
Winthrop, Cologne, Hutchinson, North St. Paul, and
Hermantown participated in the survey.
Minnesota Green Step Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities
achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. Best Practice #13 is for efficient city fleets.
The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) are a statewide partnership with a shared mission to connect
individuals and their communities to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based
clean energy projects.
The Minnesota Retiree Environmental Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) employs skilled, retired
professionals to provide facility assessments and community sustainability assistance to small businesses,
institutions, and communities in Minnesota.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) monitors environmental quality, offers technical and financial
assistance, and enforces environmental regulations. The agency finds and cleans up spills or leaks that can
affect our health and environment. Staff develop statewide policy, and support environmental education.
Drive Electric MN is a partnership of Minnesota’s electric vehicle (EV) champions, dedicated to encouraging
the deployment of EVs and the establishment of EV charging infrastructure through public-private
partnerships, financial incentives, education, technical support and public policy.
Fresh Energy is an independent non-profit organization working to speed the transition to a clean energy
economy.
PlugInConnect offers training and consulting in the areas of EV market and technologies, charging
infrastructure, renewable charging solutions, Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technologies, commercial plug-in vehicles,
and EV related product and business strategies.
FleetCarma is an all-in-one telematics platform for fleets, utilities, and researchers. Track your vehicles,
compare fleet vehicle options (including EV), and gather data.
Deptartment of Energy provides valuable resources for fuel efficiency and alternative fuel vehicles.
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