August 2017 Edition National Drive Electric Week, This Fall: Bulk Buying AFVs, New & Renewing Members, Member Updates, West Coast Electric Fleets, Local Schools & Propane Autogas, PSRC Funds Available News  |  Events  |  Blog  |  Home

National Drive Electric Week is just around the corner and we're making big plans! Come out and join us on Saturday, September 9 , at Denny Park in Seattle! With our event partners -- the City of Seattle and Forth  -- we'll be showcasing a wide spectrum of electric transportation, from EVs to e-bikes. Attendees will have the chance to talk to current EV owners, see the benefits of driving electric firsthand, and even take a few EVs out for spin themselves.  Event Details : When: Saturday, September 9 Time: 10 am -- 2 pm Where: Denny Park, 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle Can't make it that day? Check out Washington's other Drive Electric Week events:  Steilacoom: Saturday, September 9, 11 am -- 3 pm Bellingham: Sunday, September 10, 10 am -- 3 pm Issaquah: Sunday, September 17, 9 am -- 3 pm

Coming Soon: National Opportunity To Bulk Buy Alternative Fuel Vehicles

We are looking forward to announcing this fall a new opportunity for public fleets to procure alternative fuel vehicles at a lower cost.   This opportunity will be launched by Fleets for the Future (F4F), a national partnership between regional councils, Clean Cities coalitions, and industry leaders led by the National Association of Regional Councils. The goal of F4F is to increase the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure across the country. This will be accomplished by consolidating large orders from fleets across the country of propane, electric, and natural gas-powered vehicles, and refueling and charging infrastructure to reduce their upfront costs. Learn More

New & Renewing Members We're excited to have three brand new members! Thanks as well to all of our renewing members -- you're what makes our coalition strong. Let's keep kickin' gas! BlueStar Gas (member since 2011) City of Bellevue (1999) City of Enumclaw (2013) City of Everett (1998) City of Lacey (1999) City of Olympia (1998) City of Redmond (2015) City of Renton (2009) City of Shoreline (2011) City of Tacoma (1998) Port of Seattle (1999) Potelco (2015) Sound Transit (2011) Thurston County (2009) University of Washington (1998) Washington State Department of Transportation (1998)

New Member: Oak Harbor Public Schools  Oak Harbor Public Schools oversees nine schools on Whidbey Island. The school district currently has 11 propane-fueled school buses in its 53-bus fleet, with plans to convert the entire fleet to propane autogas over the coming years. According to transportation director Francis Bagarella, switching to those propane-fueled buses has saved the school district over $35,000 so far through fuel savings and incentives. Bagarella also loves how the propane buses are quiet, easy-to-drive, and require minimal maintenance. After recently co-presenting with them at the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation   conference, we're thrilled to have Oak Harbor Public Schools on board with our growing coalition!

New Member: Renewable Energy Group (REG) REG is a leading provider of cleaner, lower carbon intensity products and services. REG is an international producer of biomass-based diesel, a developer of renewable chemicals and North America’s largest producer of advanced biofuel. For more than a decade, REG has been a reliable supplier of advanced biofuels which meet or exceed ASTM quality specifications. REG sells  REG-9000  biomass-based diesel to distributors so consumers can have cleaner-burning fuels that help diversify the energy complex and increase energy security. We recently had the chance to tour REG's biodiesel plant in Hoquiam, WA, and learned a ton! The plant produced over 70 million gallons of biofuels in 2016 and has the capacity to hold over 400,000 barrels of low-carbon fuel on-site.

New Member: SeQuential  SeQuential makes high quality, low carbon biodiesel from recycled cooking oil collected from thousands of restaurants and businesses along the West Coast. Biodiesel from SeQuential is produced and sold in the Pacific Northwest to reduce environmental impact, and to keep money spent on fuel working in the local economy. As a result, SeQuential biodiesel is one of the lowest carbon fuels available in the region.  We've had the opportunity to work with SeQuential before and are pumped to have them join us!

Member Updates Find out who is paving the way in the field of alternative fuels.

Port of Seattle: Charging Forward  The Port of Seattle recently installed 12 electric vehicle chargers at Sea-Tac Airport. The Level 2 chargers are located at an employee parking lot, allowing anyone who works at the airport to repower their EV on a first come, first serve basis. What a great personnel perk!

City of Everett: Electing To Go Electric This week, the City of Everett will put into operation its first dual electric vehicle charger. The charger will be used exclusively to repower the City's electric fleet vehicles. This is part of a larger overall effort to electrify more of Everett's transportation operations. Later this year, the City intends to purchase and install seven ChargePoint CPE250 chargers for its new all-electric battery buses.

City of Redmond: Clean & Green Moves  The City of Redmond has been supporting the community’s priority of a responsible government that contributes to a clean and green environment by implementing an alternate fuel program. The first step was started in 2005 when the City’s first hybrid was purchased, a Toyota Prius.  Since then, 28 more hybrids have replaced older gas-guzzling sedans. Last year, ten City trucks and vans were converted to a propane autogas bi-fuel system.  This year, Redmond is putting into service the City’s first electric cars -- two Nissan LEAFs and two plug-in Ford Fusions -- which will replace four of its older vehicles in the motor pool. This most recent effort will further help reduce the City’s operational carbon footprint and provide fuel cost savings.

WSDOT: It All Adds Up!  Power anybody? By the end of this year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will have 26 charging stations installed at WSDOT facilities statewide with capacity to charge 47 vehicles. WSDOT has added six all-electric Chevrolet Bolts and four Chevrolet Volts to its fleet this year with more Bolts on order. The department also plans to procure a couple of medium-duty hybrids: a Ford F-150 plug-in hybrid and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid van. Other updates: WSDOT has replaced several aging fuel sites, which enables increased biodiesel percentages with the new infrastructure. WSDOT is building propane infrastructure to fuel its growing fleet of dual-fuel work trucks. Additionally, the department is moving to automated fueling using telematics. Vehicles will communicate with WSDOT fuel sites wirelessly!

City of Seattle: Power To The People The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has launched a pilot program designed to encourage electric vehicle charging along city streets . SDOT's  Electric Vehicle Charging in the Public Right of Way program will allow both public and private EV charging infrastructure providers to apply for permits to install the charging stations on non-residential streets throughout Seattle. The program is expected to help the City develop a set of policies to prepare for right-of-way charging in the future.

Join West Coast Electric Fleets Nearly 70 fleets across Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia have pledged to make zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) part of their future by joining West Coast Electric Fleets.  Why? Benefits of joining include access to EV resources, increased recognition, and the chance to connect with other organizations looking to expand their use of ZEVs. Fleets can become a West Coast Electric Fleet partner for free, simply by signing the West Coast Electric Fleets pledge .    Learn More

From Our Blog

Helping Local School Districts Get On Board With Propane Autogas You might say propane autogas and school buses go together like peanut butter and jelly. And like all dynamic duos, each side harmonizes with the other to make something even better. Due to its clean-burning properties and tremendous cost-effectiveness, propane autogas is rapidly gaining popularity with school districts around the country, including our newest member -- Oak Harbor School District. According to the Propane Education and Research Council,  there are already over 12,500 propane school buses currently operating in the United States,  and that number is growing by about 10% per year.  Learn More

Funding Opportunity: PSRC's Transportation Alternatives Program The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has made $16 million available to public agencies in the Puget Sound region for 2017's Transportation Alternatives Program.  The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a Federal Highway Administration funding program for community-based transportation improvements such as bicycle/pedestrian facilities, historic preservation of transportation assets, environmental mitigation and others.  Applications are due by September 5, 2017 .  Learn More

STAY CONNECTED:

w w c l e a n c i t i e s . o r g