Government fleet additions the largest deployment in U.S.

OAKLAND, CA, USA, July 8, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Keith Carson, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC), and ten other public agencies today announced the rollout of 90 all-electric vehicles into the fleets of ten Bay Area local governments – the largest government fleet deployment in the U.S. to date.

The public agencies receiving vehicles are: Alameda County, Sonoma County, San Francisco, Concord, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, the Marin Municipal Water District, and Sonoma County Water Agency. The Transportation Authority of Marin also participated with additional support for the Marin Municipal Water District.

This deployment is one in a series that the BACC and its partners are facilitating to assist public agencies in incorporating electric vehicles (EVs) into their fleets. Today’s rollout will yield operational cost savings of more than $500,000 and avoidance of 2 million pounds of CO2 over five years. This supports the region’s efforts to establish the Bay Area as the “EV Capital of the U.S.” and helps meet Governor Brown’s goal of 1.5 million EVs on California roads by 2025.

Alameda County has led the collaborative procurement effort for the vehicles and the forthcoming procurement of charging equipment later this year. The County will receive 26 of the 90 vehicles – raising the number of electric or hybrid vehicles in its fleet to over 50. Alameda County also received recognition this year for its EV work with the Ready, Set, Charge! Bay Area EV Readiness Award in the Most EV-Ready Large Community category.

"By replacing older fleet vehicles with clean EVs, we’re greatly reducing pollution while saving our taxpayer money on fuel costs,” Carson said. “By combining some of these EVs with on-site solar power charging stations, we are one of the nation’s leaders in the use of green vehicles.”

The all-electric vehicles – projected to be 64 Ford Focus sedans, 23 Nissan LEAF sedans and 3 Zenith vans – were purchased with $2.8 million in funding support from MTC, which offset the incremental cost of the EVs and charging infrastructure. Local agency vehicle replacement funds made up the balance of the investment.

"Today’s rollout is an important milestone. One of the cornerstones of MTC’s Climate Initiatives program is promoting the adoption of EVs. The introduction of EVs into public agency fleets gives hundreds more drivers the chance to not only experience electric, but to tell their friends, neighbors and co-workers about their advantages.” said MTC Chair Amy Worth.

Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Water Agency purchased 27 vehicles through the program. The addition brings the County’s alternative fuel fleet vehicle total to over 300, encompassing over 30% of the agencies’ cars, vans, and light duty trucks and creating one of the largest plug-in hybrid electric vehicle fleets in the country. "We are excited to add these vehicles to our fleet", said Sonoma County Director of General Services Jose Obregon. "On the average, with our onsite stationary fuel cell, we are able to operate these vehicles at a fuel cost that is 83% lower than a conventionally powered vehicle."

The number of vehicles being acquired by each agency is as follows: Alameda County: 26, Concord: 10, Fremont: 2, Marin Municipal Water District: 1, Oakland: 3, San Francisco: 14, San Jose: 3, Santa Rosa: 4, Sonoma County: 22, and Sonoma County Water Agency: 5.

"America’s future lies beyond dependence on foreign oil, and in San Francisco we are taking the necessary steps to jump start our green future today," said Mayor Ed Lee. "In 2008, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland committed to making the Bay Area the Electric Vehicle capital of the nation, and today we are investing in more electric vehicles for our City fleet and providing the necessary charging infrastructure to make EV a viable choice for our residents. We are saving money, improving air quality, and reducing greenhouse gas pollution because of our shared commitment to electric vehicles."

The participating agencies were brought together by the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC), which is providing coordination and technical support for this landmark deployment. The BACC is also providing communication and education to other agencies on the benefits of EVs for their fleets.

Noted Rafael Reyes, Executive Director of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative, "These vehicles add to a series of fleet projects facilitated in the Bay Area by the BACC for a total of 140 electric vehicles in the past 12 months, with more to come, so agencies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower costs and insulate themselves from gas price hikes. These municipalities are demonstrating great leadership, showing the benefits of EVs in fleets and providing a model for other fleets to follow."

About the Bay Area Climate Collaborative
The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) is a public-private initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group established by the Mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to accelerate the clean energy economy. Major partners include Bank of America, PG&E, Environmental Defense Fund, industry partners including ChargePoint, Schneider Electric and ABM, as well as local governments representing over 70 percent of the Bay Area population. The BACC is driving electric vehicle innovation through deployment of over 140 electric vehicles and over 240 charge ports across the region; co-facilitation of the EV Strategic Council, the executive forum driving the region’s vision to be the “EV Capital of the US”; co-management of the region’s EV marketing campaign Experience Electric; and development of Ready, Set, Charge, California! A Guide to EV-Ready Communities delivering key guidance on EV preparedness. For more information, visit: www.baclimate.org.


Press release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/1mdbj44

Rafael Reyes
Bay Area Climate Collaborative
408 409-5534
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