Civil Municipal - Feb 2024

OPENING L INES Source- www.americancityandcounty.com, Michael Keating, First published Feb 21, 2024 Yes, government fleet managers are going green and shifting to electric fleets.The Biden administration, for instance, has set some reduced-emission fleet targets. In its Federal Sustainability Plan, the White House calls for federal agencies to acquire 100 percent light- duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) annually by 2027. The same plan calls for federal agencies to buy/lease 100 percent medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs each year by 2035. For government fleet managers, electrifying a fleet is a long-term process, says Michael Spurr, public affairs manager at ADS-TEC Energy, a firm that develops and manufactures battery storage and fast-charging systems as well as energy management solutions. Its battery-based, fast-charging technology enables electric vehicles (EVs) to ultrafast charge even on low-powered grids. He is an active member of the Electrification Coalition. “Due to several internal factors such as budget constraints and existing fleet decisions, transitioning an entire fleet to EVs won’t happen in a day,” Spurr explains. He adds that it is crucial for government fleet managers to do the following as they make plans: try to envision what an EV-only fleet would look like, figure out what will need to be in place to serve that EV-only fleet, and determine what specific local challenges your team may face as they establish a fleet made up of just EVs. Spurr urges fleet managers to create an EV fleet strategy. He notes that the document should include milestone planning dates. It helps, Spurr adds, for the fleet manager to reach out and consult with the local utility early in the process. Spurr says there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to shifting a government fleet to all-EVs. “As more EVs are transitioning to the fleet, the initial learnings from the first few vehicles will be extremely valuable.” He adds that it is important for the government team to consider several characteristics as the all-EV fleet takes shape: • What types of vehicles (i.e., cars, trucks, delivery vans, special-purpose vehicles) will be needed for the fleet? • What are the capabilities of the vehicle(s) selected? What is their range and charging time? • How will the charging stations be set up and positioned to serve the EVs with the required energy and power? EXPERT: IT TAKES TIME FOR CITIES AND COUNTIES TO SHIFT TO AN ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET 11 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 02