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University of Oklahoma Adopts Variety of Alternative Fuels
Last Updated: November 10, 2009
The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., has 160 vehicles that run on alternative fuels, including five low-speed electric vehicles. Two of the electric vehicles are used for on-campus mail delivery. OU also operates 43 electric utility vehicles and golf carts on campus sidewalks and paths that are used by maintenance and physical plant staff.
Beth Gatewood, OU assistant administrator of printing, mailing and document production, said the low-speed electric vehicles save the time and expense of refueling and are ready to go after recharging outside her building. "Besides being fun and quiet," Gatewood said, "we can get in all the small places on campus we need to squeeze through."
Central Oklahoma Clean Cities stakeholders since 1995, the University of Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Services, which includes Fleet Services operations and Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART), fuels 53 flex-fuel sedans and SUVs with E85, 41 heavy duty trucks and CART buses with B20, and 15 heavy duty and light-duty passenger vehicles and shuttle buses with CNG at its new Transportation Operations Center, a multi-fuel, state-of-the-art fueling, maintenance and operations facility. The center has four fast-fill CNG hoses at 3600 psi, and eight slow-fill CNG hoses in addition to four pumps for biodiesel and ethanol.
The university also has three hybrid electric passenger cars in its fleet that fuel at the facility which also dispenses gasoline and ultra low sulfur diesel.
At the official opening of the Transportation Operations Center in March 2009, OU President David Boren said the university is committed to the environment and the new Transportation Operations Center is a symbol of that commitment. Boren has made it university policy if an alternative fuel vehicle is available for the type of vehicle needed, the university will purchase the AFV.
OU Fleet Services plans to add five CNG buses to the CART fleet with 2009 federal stimulus money and will purchase and convert two new Chevrolet Impalas with assistance from an award from the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments' 2009 Public Fleet Conversion Grants program. ACOG's Public Fleet Conversion Grants? program is administered through its Clean Cities program office.
New York City Sanitation Uses A Variety of Alternative Fuel Approaches
Last Updated: November 05, 2009
The New York City Department of Sanitation, the nation's largest municipal refuse fleet, is making great strides in using clean, alternative fuels. Among the array of vehicles is the hybrid hydraulic garbage truck, the only one in the country in its weight class. The agency is also testing hybrid electric and natural gas powered refuse trucks.
NYC's 2,000 other diesel refuse trucks run on renewable B5 biodiesel as do 450 of their street sweepers. Another 25 are fueled by compressed natural gas, and the alt-fuel list continues with hundreds of light duty gasoline-electric hybrids used by field supervisors along with 6 all-electric GEMs that move around the repair shop.
Collecting 22 million pounds of garbage a day using vehicles that are less dependent on petroleum is how NYC's Department of Sanitation is keeping it "clean and green" in the Big Apple. View the MotorWeek video of this story.
FedEx Converts Delivery Trucks to Hybrids
Last Updated: August 12, 2009
FedEx Corp. has announced the addition of 92 hybrid-electric trucks to its delivery fleet?the result of converting diesel models that were originally put into service in 2000 and 2001. The converted hybrids will increase FedEx's hybrid-electric fleet to 264 vehicles, a 50% increase. This is the largest fleet of hybrid delivery trucks in North America, logging more than four million miles of revenue service and reducing fuel use by 150,000 gallons since hybrids were introduced to the fleet in 2004."The conversion of these standard FedEx trucks into hybrids is the latest milestone in our drive to advance and adopt hybrid technology into our fleet and the broader industry," said John Formisano, vice president, Global Vehicles, FedEx Express. "FedEx and our suppliers have demonstrated that converted hybrids are a viable, lower-cost option compared to purchasing new hybrids."The hybrid conversions were developed with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and Eaton Corporation and feature a 200-horsepower 2007 Cummins ISB engine coupled with an Eaton electric motor/generator using lithium-ion batteries. The standard FedEx trucks used in the retrofit program were 2000 or 2001 models driven 300,000 to 500,000 miles. An added benefit of the conversion program is that it not only reduces pollution but also extends the life of the vehicles, helping to eliminate waste production and creating a reduce-and-reuse program.The retrofit hybrid trucks are projected to improve fuel economy by 44%, decrease particulate matter by 96%, and reduce smog-causing (NOx) emissions by 75% compared to the standard FedEx Express delivery truck. The 92 retrofitted hybrid vehicles are being placed into service in California, primarily in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco metropolitan areas.For more information, contact Alison Bird at FedEx.
University of Illinois-Chicago Fleet Invests in AFVs
Last Updated: June 01, 2009
Diversity on campus has a new meaning in Chicago. The University of Illinois-Chicago's (UIC) transportation system for innercampus and commuter transport includes a variety of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The fleet includes 12 light-duty hybrids, 37 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), 26 vehicles that operate on B20, two compressed natural gas (CNG) cargo vans, and a CNG Crown Victoria. In addition, nine CNG Blue Bird buses transport an average of 2,000 people daily around the campus. All in all, AFVs represent 36% of their fleet.
With the help of two Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants received through the efforts of the Chicago Area Clean Cities coalition, the university installed CNG infrastructure. "We now have two slow-fill dispensing units and we have added two quick-fill CNG units," says Pablo Acevedo, associate director of facilities management at UIC. The university's program extends its reach even farther by allowing vehicles owned by the City of Chicago to fill up at the UIC facility.
Acevedo explains that there are pluses and minuses to his CNG vehicles. "Parts and maintenance are more costly for the CNG vehicles than for regular diesel vehicles. It's also important to get the right kind of training for our mechanics who work on the CNG vehicles." On the plus side, the AFVs use less expensive fuel and reduce pollution caused by burning diesel.
The CNG and FFVs are purchased based on mandated levels dictated by the state and alternative fuel provider section of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The CNG-powered vehicles were first purchased in 1997. "The decision back then was based on cost savings and environmental concerns," Acevedo says. "Those are the same reasons we continue to add CNG vehicles to our fleet."
There's always room for more advanced vehicles--and UIC is interested in the all-electric, commercial Ford Transit Connect van, which is expected to have a range of 100 miles per charge and a top speed of 70 miles per hour.
"UIC's commitment to its alternative fuel program and its involvement in the coalition make it an exemplary fleet in the Chicago area," says Chicago Clean Cities Coordinator Samantha Bingham. "We are happy to assist UIC as well as other coalition members with everything from technical assistance to identifying funding."
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Responds to Demand for Green Vehicles
Last Updated: April 25, 2008
In an effort to meet consumer demand for environmentally friendly vehicles, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is deploying its first group of "Green" branches in Atlanta and continues to expand its number of "E85/FlexFuel" branches nationally. Enterprise is a part of the Taylor family of companies, which includes National Car Rental and Alamo. The combined companies make up the world's largest vehicle fleet, which currently includes 4,000 hybrids, 73,000 flexible fuel vehicles, and 440,000 fuel-efficient vehicles.
At four Atlanta, Georgia, locations, hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles will comprise approximately 60% of the company's "Green Branch" fleets. These fleets will offer approximately 30 percent hybrid gas/electric vehicles and 30 percent fuel-efficient vehicles that average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg. "For the past 50 years, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has steadily grown its business by consistently talking with and listening to its customers," says Dan Miller, vice president and general manager for Enterprise in Atlanta. "With Atlanta ranking among the top cities in average commute times, customers of Enterprise's metro Atlanta branches have expressed great interest in renting environmentally friendly vehicles, and we are responding by concentrating the largest number of hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles possible at these four area branches."
Enterprise also recently designated one of its Dallas-Fort Worth area rental locations as its first official "E85/FlexFuel Branch" in Texas. The location is at the Classic Chevrolet dealership located in Grapevine, Texas. Classic Chevrolet is also home to the nation's first dealership-owned public E85 pumps. Approximately 25% of the branch's vehicles will be General Motors flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).
To build consumer awareness and increase the number of cars being fueled with E85, Enterprise is actively deploying the majority of its FFVs near E85 fueling stations. The Grapevine, Texas, E85/FlexFuel Branch joins similar Enterprise branches in Washington, D.C.; St. Louis, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Cincinnati, Columbus: and Dayton, Ohio.
"Enterprise is committed to supporting new technologies and alternative fuels as they become commercially viable," says Miller. "We'll continue to make them more accessible to our customers."
Alamo Clean Cities Develops Hybrid Taxicab Replacement Program
Last Updated: March 31, 2008
In spring 2007, Alamo Clean Cities Coordinator Andrew Hudgins and representatives from the City of San Antonio sat down with members of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the taxicab industry to discuss the environmental and cost benefits of switching from petroleum-powered vehicles to hybrids.
According to Hudgins, their approach was to tout the "fuel savings, lower emissions, and 'green public image' that would come as a result of switching to hybrid taxis." The meeting eventually led to the passage of a city ordinance establishing the Hybrid Taxicab Replacement Program, a voluntary initiative that offers cab companies additional vehicle permits as an incentive to replace their current combustion-engine vehicles with hybrid taxis. The goal of the program is to swap all of the area's conventional taxis with hybrids.
As of March 2008, 65 hybrid cabs, operated by 16 of the 25 local cab companies, were cruising the streets of San Antonio as part of the program. Petroleum reductions have not yet been measured.
Alamo Clean Cities continues to provide technical assistance to the taxicab program and more recently helped the city become part of the TCEQ's Green and Go Partnership. The program works to increase public awareness of hybrid vehicles and help eliminate roadblocks to getting hybrids incorporated into taxi fleets.
Light-Duty Fleet Brews Up Commitment to Petroleum Reduction
Last Updated: March 10, 2008
New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian inspired beers, was founded in 1991 by an electrical engineer and a social worker. So it's no surprise that the Fort Collins, Colorado, brewer has always looked for ways to be energy efficient and socially responsible. Since its beginning, the company has had an ongoing commitment to participate in developing technologies. Multiple programs within the company focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining healthy watersheds, building green buildings, recycling and reuse programs, and sustainability.
New Belgium Brewing is currently in the market for four new hybrid vehicles. "But we are seeing a shortage of hybrid vehicles in the market and the wait can be long," says New Belgium spokesperson, Christine Biegert. "We also need all-wheel or four-wheel drive capability for mountain driving but hybrid choices are limited. As a light-duty fleet, we have a five-year turnover cycle rather than a 15-year cycle typical of heavy-duty vehicles. So we want to use the most up-to-date transportation technology available."
New Belgium's fleet is 99 percent light-duty vehicles that are used by its sales representatives in 18 states. These vehicles average 1.4 million miles per year. In a fleet of 95 vehicles there are 23 Prius hybrids, three Ford Escape hybrids, and one Nissan Altima hybrid. In addition, there are five Dodge three-quarter ton Ram pickups that run on B20. Four medium duty box trucks also run on B20. The company is a stakeholder in the Northern Colorado Clean Cities Coalition, and transportation is a large part of its commitment to the environment.
"We have no policy or goal expressed in a percentage of alternative vehicles and alternative fuel," says Biegert. "But we are forward thinking in our use of vehicles."
To further support biofuels development, New Belgium has offered its land, CO2 derived from fermentation, and treated process waste water to Solix Biofuels for a research project to grow algae that can be used as a biodiesel feedstock. The treatment plant's anaerobic digestor is already producing methane as bacteria consume the organic waste material left after brewing. The methane gas is piped back into the building where it fires a combined heat and power engine that can provide up to 15 percent of the brewery's electricity. Solix's algae-to-biodiesel project is one more way to enhance New Belgium's support of sustainability through innovation.
For more information about this fleet on the move, contact Fleet Manager Christine Biegert.
Limo Company Goes Green
Last Updated: September 19, 2007
Michael Fadis had been running limo company Kalacor Executive Service for about seven years when, in 2004, a client asked for a ride to a Toyota dealership to see the Prius. The visit got Fadis thinking about a new business venture: green limos.
After conducting an informal survey of his customers, he found that about three-quarters of them wanted to make "green" choices. That was enough for him. Less than a year later, Fadis launched a second company: Green Car Limo, a driver service that transports clients in one of its dozen hybrid electric vehicles (mostly Priuses).
Since starting his new company, Fadis thinks of himself as a "green evangelist" because he's converting his customers to be believers in the high-fuel-efficiency, low-pollution hybrids. He spends about $6,000 per car to outfit them with custom leather, extra soundproofing, and quieter tires and uses professional chauffeurs to drive them. The cars are proving popular with his regular customers, and he's attracting new customers all the time. In fact, Fadis says Green Car Limo is hired for Berkeley-area weddings about once every two weeks.
Fadis credits the "chauffeur-style" driving of his highly trained, largely European drivers with helping reach the high fuel economy the hybrids are capable of, as well as helping make the customers feel like they are still in a limo. His hybrid fleet averages about 47 miles per gallon (mpg), compared to about 18 mpg for his conventional Lincoln and Mercedes sedans and 15 mpg for his stretch limos. The original vehicles have logged 50,000 to 60,000 miles in a year and a half, and Fadis provides regular feedback on their performance to Toyota.
The Green Car Limo fleet is mostly comprised of Priuses but also includes a hybrid Toyota Camry and Lexus sport utility vehicle.
Fadis is currently thinking about expanding Green Car Limo to service New York, Los Angeles, and Shanghai.
Contact: Michael Fadis, 650-593-6323.
Redwood National and State Parks
Last Updated: August 22, 2007
Located near Eureka, California, the Redwood National and State Parks are currently using a variety of alternative fuels in its fleet. They are using biodiesel (B20) to operate 32 heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) used for park maintenance. The park also uses five light-duty electric vehicles and two Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) for light maintenance and park transportation. In addition, the park has an electric tractor vehicle used to haul cleaning supplies to the restrooms, pick up and transport garbage, and to perform routine maintenance work. "The electric tractor is quieter than a conventional vehicle, and it does not disturb the wildlife as much," says Roads and Trails Supervisor Richard Mayle.Redwood National and State Parks currently has an onsite biodiesel (B20) refueling station. "Biodiesel is inconsistent because it usually takes a few weeks to get a shipment to our remote location. Sometimes the fuel arrives in a few days and other times it takes a couple of weeks," says Mayle. "Biodiesel also costs a little bit more than conventional fossil fuel diesel, but we have noticed that biodiesel is cleaner and seems better for the environment."
For additional information, visit the Redwood National and State Parks Web site or contact Richard Mayle at richard_mayle@nps.gov.
Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Last Updated: August 22, 2007
In 2001, the Port of Seattle Aviation Division adopted a fleet vehicle purchase policy that required the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), whenever feasible and practical, to replace conventional petroleum vehicles. The Seattle Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport's fleet is currently composed of 60 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, including 16 buses and 41 light-duty vehicles (LDVs)--all of which display the slogan "Doing our share for cleaner air naturally." Sea-Tac's fleet also includes seven propane LDVs, nine hybrid LDVs and 91 ground support units that operate on electricity. In 2005, the Sea-Tac Airport received the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Excellence Award in recognition of the implementation of air quality programs such as the fleet vehicle purchase policy.
The Port required airport taxi and shuttle services to switch to CNG vehicles. Shuttle Express currently has 27 CNG shuttle vans serving the airport. Shuttle Express operates more than 33% of its total trip mileage using the CNG vans. The Seattle-Tacoma International Taxi Association operates all of its 166 taxi cab fleet with CNG-fueled Ford Crown Victorias. The Port of Seattle's Air Quality Web site reports that the CNG fleet is expected to produce 149 fewer tons of carbon monoxide and 24 fewer tons of oxides of nitrogen each year compared to conventional vehicles.
The Port partnered with Clean Energy to install, operate, and maintain a full-service CNG fueling station at Sea-Tac, which is open to the public and operates 24 hours a day. Sea-Tac currently has plans to add an additional public CNG fueling station, as well as increase the number of CNG buses in its fleet.
For more information, contact Russ Simonson, senior environmental program manager, Port of Seattle, Aviation Division, at simonson.r@portseattle.org.
