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VoICE-MR: Vocation Integrated Cost Estimation for Maintenance and Repair of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

West Virginia University, multiple Clean Cities coalitions, and Wale Associates, Inc., are partnering to develop a tool to estimate the vocation dependent variations in maintenance costs of heavy- and medium-duty vehicles fueled by alternative fuels, including natural gas, propane, and electricity. Vocation Integrated Cost Estimate (VoICE) for maintenance and repair (MR) compares cost estimates of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) with conventional diesel vehicles of the same vocation to illustrate vocation-specific benefits of adopting AFVs. The study addresses medium- and heavy-duty vehicles operating in urban delivery, port drayage, school bus, refuse truck, and transit bus applications. The overall goal of the cost model estimate tool is to build a user-friendly application for fleets operating nationwide. The study will model the maintenance costs of AFVs as a function of duty cycle parameters, which is a critical knowledge gap for fleets that would consider adopting AFVs to replace conventional diesels.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

Learn more about the 2020 Innovative Vehicle Technologies Projects.

WestSmart EV@Scale: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership

The objective of the WestSmart EV@Scale project is to identify pathways to accelerate use of EVs. The pathways will be evaluated by researchers through the analysis of EV infrastructure gaps, EV workforce development training, EV infrastructure deployment and data gathering, freight and port load, and grid evaluations. WestSmart EV@Scale leverages lessons learned and best practices from the tremendous success of the WestSmartEV project in Utah. It facilitates successful expansion into a regional program covering portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona—covering all major corridors in and out of California. It encompasses five critical EV application focus areas of: Destination Highways (National Park and Recreation), Underserved Regions (EV Training, Rural Transit Hub, Electric Car Share at Affordable Housing), Urban Mobility (Transportation Network Company, Intermodal Hub), Freight (Airport, Inland Port), and Community/Workplace (Mobility Hub, Workplace Charging).

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

Learn more about the 2020 Innovative Vehicle Technologies Projects.

WestSmartEV: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership

Through the WestSmart EV project, Pacificorp aims to double the growth rate for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in their electric service territory from 20% to 40%. Pacificorp and their partners plan to accomplish this by pairing PEV adoption programs with the development of a large-scale charging network in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. The project will install charging stations along interstate corridors and at workplaces, incentivize conversion of fleet vehicles to PEVs, coordinate outreach and Smart Mobility programs with community partners, and collect data from these activities to develop new tools for utility integration of charging infrastructure.

As of 2019, WestSmart EV has installed 43 DC fast chargers along interstate corridors, 836 level 2 chargers, and incentivized 99 PEVs. Additionally, the project has launched a PEV ride hailing program with Lyft in Salt Lake City, Utah and Park City, Utah and coordinated on data collection with several major charging station networks. When completed, the project will result in DC fast chargers being installed every 50-100 miles for over 1,500 miles of interstate highways and approximately 600 level 2 chargers being installed at workplaces.

Learn more about the 2016 Alternative Fuel Vehicle Community Partner Projects.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Located in Missouri, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is the site of the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, allowing visitors to experience one of the best-preserved battlefields in the nation. Working with the Kansas City Clean Cities Coalition in 2015, the park added a propane pick-up truck, four propane lawn mowers, and propane refueling infrastructure to its fleet. The park also collaborated with the coalition to demonstrate how these technologies can help preserve the historic landscape. This project is estimated to help the park reduce its annual emissions by more than 4 million tons of CO₂ and displace the use of nearly 660 gasoline-gallon equivalents of petroleum per year.

Learn more about the National Parks Initiative.

Wisconsin Clean Transportation Program

The Wisconsin Clean Transportation Program (WCTP) was a four-year initiative aimed to significantly reduce petroleum consumption and emissions in Wisconsin by increasing the use of alternative fuel or advanced technology vehicles and the installation of supporting infrastructure. The WCTP also aimed to maximize the preservation and creation of jobs by investing in the technology and training necessary to continue to develop a strong alternative fuels industry. The project deployed 177 light-duty vehicles, 200 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and installed 3 publicly accessible and 19 private alternative fuel stations.

Learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Project Awards.

Yellowstone National Park

In 2014, Yellowstone National Park acquired a plug-in electric vehicle and installed publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations. The project supports a broader effort to expand clean transportation options within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The park has already added an electric utility vehicle, hybrid electric vehicles, and a hybrid electric bus to its fleet in 2011. With help from the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition, the park also enhanced public outreach for idle reduction efforts.

Learn more about the National Parks Initiative.

Zero Emission Freight Future

The goal of this project is to prove the operational and financial effectiveness of medium-duty (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) electric vehicles (EVs) in commercial fleets. Through diverse partnerships, the project employs commercially available EVs, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), facilities, and app-platforms to ensure technology deployment and to showcase significant return on investment. While original equipment manufacturer (OEM) models are newly becoming available, many fleet questions remain about the real-world operational and economic viability of MD and HD EVs. This project is designed to provide fleets the real-world experience needed to answer these questions for themselves and disseminate this information from trusted fleet and Clean Cities coalition peers. Clean Fuels Ohio is partnering with OEMs and EVSE equipment providers to operate three demonstration projects of MD and HD EVs (refuse truck, delivery trucks) with a goal of spurring Class 4-8 EV adoption in fleet applications nationwide.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the 2022 Annual Merit Review presentation and the 2023 Annual Merit Review presentation.

Learn more about the 2020 Innovative Vehicle Technologies Projects.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park uses a fleet of 21 shuttle buses, which are all powered by propane. By getting visitors out of their cars, the shuttles eliminate more than 5 million pounds of CO₂ emissions each year. In 2014, Utah Clean Cities worked with park officials to expand Zion's use of alternative fuels by replacing three gasoline-powered vehicles with all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and installing 10 electric vehicle charging stations, five of which are available for public use. The project also included an idle-reduction education and outreach initiative.

Learn more about the National Parks Initiative.