Piloting an electric firetruck in Vancouver
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Transportation
Project value$1,800,000
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Fleet Management
Grant amount$500,000
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of Vancouver, BC
Status
In Progress
Population
662,248
Project timeline
2021 -
Project number
DFC-20-0001
Description
On November 17, 2020, Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan. This puts Vancouver on track to reduce our carbon pollution by 50% by 2030, in alignment with the findings of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
As Vancouver responds to the growing climate emergency, it is imperative that we explore all pathways to reducing our emissions. Within a municipal fleet, this requires the examination of all new technology, and the development of emissions reduction strategies for all segments of the fleet. One of the most challenging segments of the fleet for zero emissions vehicles is the emergency services groups. For the City of Vancouver, this includes the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS). For this project, we will be focusing specifically on VFRS, and how new technology might help us realize significant emissions reductions.
Within the VFRS fleet, the major source of fleet emissions comes from the various categories of heavy apparatus that serve as the backbone of VFRS’s response to emergencies. These heavy apparatus are generally custom to firefighting applications, and traditionally run on diesel fuel. As a relatively niche area in the larger heavy truck market, there has not been as much development of electric trucks as there has been in the vocational heavy truck fleet. However, in 2020, the City and VFRS had the opportunity to demo Rosenbauer’s M91x electric pumper truck. Based on that demo, and the information provided to the City, it was decided to pursue the purchase of one unit.
To validate the objective that we are setting out to explore, we will be tracking fuel usage in kWh and peak demand in kW. We will also be tracking Scope 1 and Lifecycle emissions in tonnes of CO2e. Finally, we will be tracking maintenance costs in labour hours and total dollar value. We will be using 2021 as a baseline for the existing asset, and will measure our reductions against this baseline year. We have set targets of a 50% reduction in fuel costs, a 60% reduction in Lifecycle GHG emissions, and a 90% reduction in Scope 1 GHG emissions.
Applicant
City of Vancouver, BC