EVolve Houston
At a Glance
Industry
Transport and Warehousing
Project Types
Clean and Renewable Energy, Zero Emission Vehicles, Freight and Logistics, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2020
Location
Houston, TX
Summary
Bridget Gilmore determined electrifying passenger trucks to be a significant market opportunity while working with EVolve Houston.
Goals
EVolve Houston is a public-private partnership between civic, academic, and industry groups committed to accelerating transportation electrification efforts to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The organization has set a 30 by 30 goal in which 30% of new car sales are to be electric by 2030. Recognizing the importance of fleet conversion to achieve this goal, EVolve Houston asked Bridget Gilmore to launch a regional fleet electrification strategy and create a regional charging infrastructure plan.
Solutions
To assess electrification on a regional level, Bridget:
- Collaborated with the Policy and Commercialization & Infrastructure Committees. To survey member alignment in fleet electrification and charging infrastructure planning, Bridget presented new ideas and proposals, incorporated feedback, and informed next steps for the organization. Bridget also provided input on the City of Houston’s Request For Information for Charging Infrastructure, forecasted returns for investments in fleet studies, and prepared policy one-pagers.
- Analyzed vehicle miles traveled (VMT) data and estimated related emissions. To make targeted recommendations for electrification, Bridget analyzed recently published VMT data and calculated related emissions for the Houston region. She presented the analysis for evaluation with leading air quality and transportation electrification researchers.
Impact
The VMT analysis showed passenger trucks comprised 49% of miles traveled and led in carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane emissions. As a result, Bridget identified passenger trucks to be a critical vehicle segment to electrify for consumers and commercial fleets. In her final report, “The eTruck Capital of the World: Why Texas Should be OEM's primary focus,” Bridget illustrated the market opportunity for electric trucks. The report is to be presented in a fleet roundtable discussion with relevant stakeholders.