Feasibility study on the electrification of the municipal vehicle fleet of the City of Joliette

The City of Joliette wants to assess the potential technical and economic feasibility of electrifying all or part of the vehicles of its municipal fleet. The study will include all types of electric vehicles, including light vehicles, pick-up trucks, vans, mid-size vehicles, heavy vehicles and special mobile equipment. Through this project, the City wishes to pursue one of the objectives of its latest strategic plan, which is to promote the electrification of transportation. It also intends on optimizing the replacement of its fleet, meet its greenhouse gas reduction objectives, reduce its operating costs, and plan its investments to ensure sound asset management. The feasibility study will draw on the knowledge of the Dunsky Energy firm, which will use a model that can predict the maturity and prices of electric vehicle technologies. This will make it possible to plan the transition of the fleet over several years and optimize vehicle replacements.  The study will assess various fleet electrification scenarios based on different parameters. The basic scenario will respond to the City’s commitment through its participation in the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program by validating the feasibility of reducing the emissions of its fleet by 30% by 2030. The more optimistic scenario will assess the feasibility and impacts of electrifying the entire fleet of vehicles within the next 10 years. If this scenario turns out to be feasible, emissions would be reduced by approximately 625 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. By analyzing different scenarios, the feasibility study will make it possible to:   

1. Discuss technologies that have reached maturity and technologies that will be ready in the next few years with user departments.   

2. Plan investments ahead of time to avoid surprises during the preparation of the three-year investment plan.  

3. Demonstrate the financial impacts over the lifecycle of the vehicles.  

4. Plan procurement processes ahead of time.   An optimal replacement schedule will be established for each of the assessed scenarios.
The feasibility study will also make it possible to adopt either one of the assessed scenarios, and this choice will establish an overall vision for the transition of the fleet in the next 10 years. Once this vision is established and shared within the organization, each of the departments will be able to work in a more coherent manner to achieve the established objectives.   

Innovative aspects:   The use of a model that can predict the maturity and prices of electric vehicle technologies will make it possible to: 

- Plan the transition of the fleet over several years; 

- Optimize vehicle replacements.   

Replicability:   

- The approach proposed by Dunsky Energy could be replicated in whole or in part by a wide range of Canadian municipalities.   

- The City intends on sharing the study’s results by participating in various conferences and practice communities.