With so many resources, case studies, and documents available on electric vehicles, the Climate Mayors team has assembled some of the most relevant references that directly apply to municipal fleet electrification to help fleet managers, procurement staff, and sustainability/policy team members from the mayor’s office. 

Procurement Types

Cooperative procurement is a competitive selection process enabled by aggregating the demand various government organizations.  This process can leverage the aggregated buying power of organizations spread across many jurisdictions, retains the competitive selection process, and reduces the personnel burdens on issuing one’s own RFP.  When using cooperative procurement, one governmental agency would use a contract issued by another to have access to the same vehicles and pricing.  In this program, Sourcewell Cooperative functions as the central organization and has facilitated competitive solicitations, reviewed bids, and awarded contracts.  This mechanism has the added benefit of providing fleets with multiple vendors to choose from to ensure each fleet gets a product and an experience that fits their needs. 

Traditionally, most municipal fleets purchase vehicles outright through a variety of mechanisms.  This typically includes issuance of their own Request for Proposal (RFP) and then awards direct contracts with particular vendors.  This program offers a purchasing option through Sourcewell via National Auto Fleet Group. 

Fleet leasing with management services are available from a variety of companies offering numerous lease structures/lengths.  These leases may or may not also include things like maintenance, fuel, and other services.  Leasing can also include the opportunity to take advantage of additional savings on EVs available through monetizing tax credits and passing those savings onto the lessee.  Leasing options will be available through Sourcewell via ARI, Merchants, Enterprise, and D&M Leasing. 

Fleets can finance fleet vehicles more like they would a personal vehicle.  This would constitute a leasing option that would provide vehicles without the additional fleet management services.  Leasing can also include the opportunity to take advantage of additional savings on EVs available through monetizing tax credits and passing those savings onto the lessee.  Financing options are available through Sourcewell via National Cooperative Leasing. 

To achieve the full benefit and potential of EVs, it is critical to ensure that they are placed into successful use cases.  The best-case scenario for EVs is one that maximizes economic benefits, minimizes GHG emissions, and eliminates operational impact.  Understanding the precise scenarios to enable this within your fleet will help ensure a successful integration of EV technology. 

Analytics resources available to participating cities center around the use of telematics data to make data-driven recommendations for EV adoption and the installation of charging infrastructure to power those vehicles.  Telematics data enables a granular picture of each vehicle’s individual operational profile such that recommendations are tailored to each vehicle and then aggregated across a fleet. 

Charging 101

Plug-in electric vehicles can be charged using standard outlets (110V), which are called Level 1 charging.  They can also be charged at Level 2 stations (240V), or at DC Fast Charge stations (480V).  Level 1 charging will charge a vehicle completely in 8 to 17 hours, depending on the size of the battery in the vehicle.  At a Level 2 station most vehicles will be fully charged in 4-10 hours.  High energy consuming appliances, such as clothes dryers, use outlets with this voltage.  Finally, in order to make charging while away from home quick and convenient, even faster charging stations are being installed in some locations: Level 3 (or DC Fast Charge) stations.  DC Fast Chargers can charge a fully depleted Nissan LEAF to 80 percent capacity in 15 to 30 minutes. 

Current State of the EV Market

Q2 2018 returned the strongest sales on record for electric vehicles (EV) with 65,585units sold in the U.S. Nearly 20,000 EVs were sold since last year, an increase of approximately 41 percent year-over-year (y/y).  Quarter-over-quarter (q/q) sales grew 22 percent with the top-selling Toyota Prius Plug-In, Chevy Volt, Honda Clarity, and Tesla Models 3, S and X representing over 68 percent of sales.  Within the battery electric vehicle (BEV) segment, the Nissan Leaf has experienced renewed popularity, with sales increasing by more than 30 percent y/y. The Leaf is now the third most popular BEV with the 2018 model boasting a 151-mile range at an MSRP of $30,000 before federal and state incentives.  There are now nearly 50 advanced fuel vehicle models in the U.S. market, including 29 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models, 16 BEV models, and three fuel-cell vehicle models.  In the past seven years, automakers have sold more than 849,000 EVs.  In June, EVs accounted for roughly 1.3 percent of new light-duty vehicle sales on an annualized basis.