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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.

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.

The objective of the project is to provide a small-scale pilot project for electric vehicle (EV) fleet adoption by Shelby County. The focus of this project is the installation of charging infrastructure along with the acquisition of a limited number of EVs. Piloting a small number of EVs and installing charging infrastructure helps provide proof of concept for the future expansion of electric vehicles in the county fleet. The project team is purchasing five new electric vehicles—either original equipment manufacturer (OEM) factory-produced or conventional vehicles that are converted by OEM-authorized/warranted Qualified Vehicle Modifiers—for use by Shelby County's Roads, Bridges, and Engineering Department. The project includes the installation of vehicle charging infrastructure in appropriate fleet parking areas to support these new vehicles as well as future electric fleet vehicles. The project also involves implementation of appropriate maintenance and operations training for key fleet services staff. Finally, an analysis and evaluation of vehicle performance, associated cost savings, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions helps provide a better understanding of the impact and return on investment of this project.

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.

Compared to conventional trucks, battery-electric trucks (eTrucks) have potential advantages in reducing fuel and maintenance costs as well as harmful and greenhouse gas emissions. The medium-duty (MD) truck market is a likely candidate for a significant and near-term adoption of eTrucks in daily, return-to-base, urban and regional trucking applications of fewer than 100 miles per day. However, many trucking fleets have very limited or no exposure to the new eTruck technology. The lack of eTruck experience and the concerns about eTrucks including range limits, charging infrastructure availability, maintenance, and cost, are considered the main barriers for the broader adoption by trucking fleets of MD eTrucks. The objective of this project is to demonstrate a MD eTruck technology fleet of three eTruck vehicles and supporting infrastructure in fleets that have little or no experience with these technologies. The MD eTruck demonstration testbed is used to evaluate the performance of MD electric trucks in various applications by a diverse group of trucking fleets. The project may help potential fleets gain necessary eTruck knowledge and experience to make informed decisions about MD eTruck adoption. The project collects eTruck fleet operational and use data to analyze the challenges and needs associated with the use of MD eTrucks in fleets across a broad range of geographical locations.

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

The objective of the Helping Rural Counties Transition to Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles project is to create models for effectively transferring advanced clean fuel and vehicle technologies to underserved county governments and rural communities and to share those models and lessons learned through a nationally distributed Replication Playbook. Rural county governments often lack the staff capacity to learn about new technologies, implement new training and maintenance systems, and educate their workforces. The lack of funding and financing options, combined with staff capacity to research and pursue existing incentives, can also be a significant barrier to exploring alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles. Transportation Energy Partners is coordinating and supporting Clean Cities coalitions in eight states as they work with rural county leaders to overcome these and other barriers and find models that work for increasing adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles.

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.

Heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles still face technological and market challenges that need to be overcome to advance the adoption and commercialization of hydrogen technologies. In particular, the integration and packaging of the different components of a fuel cell electric powertrain is complex and remains costly. In addition, hydrogen fuel prices remain high, the cost of fuel cell stacks and hydrogen fuel storage solutions is still high, and there is a need to increase hydrogen storage energy density. Cummins proposes to design, build, test, and demonstrate a fuel cell electric powertrain for heavy-duty trucks and buses that can help reduce costs and advance the commercialization of hydrogen vehicles. The proposed fuel cell powertrain technology offers the following benefits: 1) Vertically integrated powertrain, 2) Modular and scalable, 3) Highly integrated and manufacturable, 4) Increased driving range, 5) Increased fuel economy, 6) Rapid refueling, 7) 1:1 replacement of conventional vehicles, and 8) Total cost of ownership reduction.

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

The objective of the Mid-Atlantic Electrification Partnership is to enable a regional ecosystem in Virginia (VA), District of Columbia (DC), Maryland (MD), and West Virginia (WV) allowing all sizes of electric vehicle (EV) use for fleets, Transportation Network Companies, and consumers. This ecosystem project connects the Capital Region's cities, employs multiple EV and infrastructure sub-projects, and includes multimodal hubs such as airports, seaports, mass transit hubs, and logistics centers while addressing equity issues of populations near these hubs and within cities and towns.

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.

The Cold-Weather Operation, Observation and Learning with Electric Vehicles (COOL EVs) project will support the deployment of four medium- and heavy-duty battery electric vehicles (EVs) in three community fleets in Minnesota. This project is strategically designed to overcome the challenges of cold weather operation, which is crucial to advance EV fleet applications. The four all-electric vehicles included in this application are two box trucks with different applications, a medium-duty passenger van, and a school bus. The fleets will share some resources, including training, technology, and project management support.

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.

This project purchases and deploys five propane-powered delivery trucks along with propane fueling infrastructure in the metro Denver area. The trucks are Ford's Class 7 (F-750) straight box trucks with Roush CleanTech's ultra-low (.02) NOx 7.3L V8 propane engines, commercially available across the United States, and certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB). The demonstration fleet, Hi-Pro, Inc., is located in Commerce City, a close suburb of Denver. This fleet moves mail from the United States Postal Service (USPS) main hub to the individual post offices daily. Hi-Pro, Inc., has a fleet of 35 vehicles in Colorado; five diesel trucks are being replaced by the trucks purchased as part of this project. By demonstrating the advantages of propane as a clean and cost-effective alternative to diesel and its viability in the test fleet, the project shares data, best practices, and lessons learned to catalyze other fleets nationwide to adopt propane trucks for mail delivery (and other applications). By reducing the risk of first adoption, the potential exists to transform the USPS mail delivery system into a low-carbon national fleet.

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.

The goal of DRIVE Electric USA (DEUSA) is to greatly accelerate statewide, state-led "Drive Electric" initiatives in multiple states by educating consumers, utilities, utility regulators, and government officials; engaging auto dealers and fleet leaders; conducting EV infrastructure planning; and developing local EV chapters. All of this is occurring under the banner of branded, statewide EV initiatives, guided by each state's stakeholders. DEUSA is creating a Replication Playbook based on outputs and lessons learned that incorporates results from the project work and highlights specific successes from all the participating states. The project conducts EV infrastructure planning sessions for corridors and urban and rural areas, including a focus on disadvantaged and limited-income communities, builds relationships with dozens of utilities and utility regulators, and creates incentives and investment opportunities.

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.