Capital Regional District Zero Emissions Fleet Initiative Pilot Project

The Zero Emissions Fleet Initiative Pilot Project will test the use of zero emissions vehicles and develop a suite of fleet optimization tools to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Capital Regional District (CRD) fleet. The Capital Regional District is the regional government for 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the nearby Gulf Islands. The pilot project will include field trials of fuel cell electric vehicle; testing of battery electric vehicles; smart fleet analysis to develop a suite of tools for fleet optimization; analysis on the use of zero emissions vehicles for emergency resilience; and an electric bicycle field trial. In an effort to eliminate tailpipe emissions from the light-duty vehicle segment of the CRD fleet, zero emissions vehicles will be tested under expected operating conditions in a twelve-vehicle sub-segment. Eight internal combustion engine vehicles will be replaced with six fuel cell electric vehicles and two battery electric vehicles. Two additional battery electric vehicles and two electric bikes will also be tested. Forty vehicles will have telematics devices installed, and the data will be analyzed to further optimize the fleet and reduce emissions through modal shift, scheduling, minimizing idling, and right-sizing. It is estimated that the project will reduce 159 tonnes CO2e over the 3-year period, eliminating emissions within the sub-segment and reducing total fleet emissions from 1,249 to 1,196 tonnes CO2e. Pending the project results, CRD wants to replace up to 100 internal combustion engine vehicles with zero emissions alternatives as part of its fleet renewal. Potentially, this will reduce CRD’s operational GHG emissions by 440 tonnes CO2e/year, a 35% reduction in total fleet emissions, and 95%-100% reduction in tailpipe emissions from the 100 vehicle sub-segment. The pilot is in line with the CRD’s Corporate Climate Action Strategy which calls for a GHG emissions reduction to 33% below the 2007 level by 2020. The strategy, which draws from the Official Community Plans of all member municipalities, commits the CRD to supporting continued electric vehicle infrastructure deployment in coordination with local governments and the private sector. The strategy recognizes electric vehicle infrastructure as both fuel cell and plug-in charging infrastructure. Outside of the scope of this pilot, the CRD is partnering with the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines to leverage this pilot toward installation of the first publicly available hydrogen fueling station on Vancouver Island. The pilot is built on a solid applied research design through a partnership between the CRD, the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria (IESVic). Graduate students and researchers at IESVic, in partnership with CRD staff will analyze and document fleet management measures. Results of the pilot will be shared broadly through gray and academic literature, a webinar in year one, and a symposium at the end of the pilot project that will bring together academia, industry and local government to synthesize and share the project results. The knowledge value of this initiative can be found in the partnerships between the regional government, the Province, and the University. From a technological perspective, fuel cell electric vehicles are very new in Canada, with the first ones (Hyundai Tucson) being made available on a trial basis to users in Metro Vancouver in 2016. Fuel cell electric vehicles offer considerably greater range and faster refuelling than battery electric vehicle options. The CRD is also interested in the applications of fuel cell vehicles and battery electric vehicles as a mobile emergency power source, and will be including analysis on this in their final report. (Project description from original funding application)