North Central Texas Council of Governments
At a Glance
Industry
Government/Public Administration
Project Types
Financial Evaluation and Planning, Zero Emission Vehicles, Freight and Logistics, Supply Chain
Year
2021
Location
Arlington, TX
Summary
Govinda Hira developed a fleet electrification transition plan for the Town of Addison, Texas.
Goals
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG hosts the Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Coalition which assists fleets to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. With the transportation sector contributing the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and ten counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area classified as nonattainment for ozone, Govinda Hira was brought in to help the Town of Addison in Dallas County prioritize actions for vehicle electrification and/or optimization based on commercial viability, alternative availability, and environmental impact.
Solutions
Govinda approached the task at hand by:
- Comprehending the Town’s fleet utilization through meetings with stakeholders, gathering vehicle data and usage patterns, and estimating operational and maintenance costs over its lifecycle. Govinda summarized the information for analysis purposes.
- Prioritizing vehicles for electrification/optimization based on the Town’s self-developed depreciation schedule and a vehicle replacement candidate scoring system adopted from the Fuel & Fleet Transformation Plan for the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, built on vehicle useful life, daily and annual miles traveled, and maintenance costs incurred. Govinda identified 56 light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for running life-cycle cost and environmental analysis.
- Analyzing identified vehicles for Phase 1 transition by researching for model availability or recognizing potential for right-/down-sizing, conducting total cost of ownership assessment and payback period evaluation, communicating savings and cost differences, and detailing emission reduction possibilities. Govinda arrived at nineteen ready-to-electrify vehicles with a further seven for potential downsizing.
- Presenting on a way forward for the Town in terms of conducting pilots, setting up charging infrastructure, collaborating on funding, and utilizing commercial tools for continuous analysis.
Potential Impact
The recommended Phase 1 fleet transition for the Town of Addison would result in, over its useful life of vehicles, ~41,000 gallons of reduction in well-to-wheel petroleum use and avoid ~604,000 pounds of GHG emissions. In addition, the criteria air pollutants from vehicle operations such as CO, NOx, PM10, PM2.5, VOC, and SOx would also witness a drastic decline with the internal combustion engine moving away.
As a result, Addison can become a more sustainable town and lead the path for similar nearby municipalities who are still wary of the electrification space.