City of Lethbridge Alternative Fuels Feasibility Assessment

The City of Lethbridge will conduct a feasibility study to assess incorporating alternative fuels into the City’s fleet in order to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 20%. Currently, the City’s fleet uses gasoline engines, which are heavy carbon emitters and difficult to maintain given the stop-start nature of City's operation. The City’s Corporate Environmental Sustainability Initiative has identified three departments - Transit, Fleet, and Waste and Recycling – who are all interested in piloting either compressed natural gas fuel or electric vehicles within their fleet. The study will outline the social, economic, and environmental factors for these two technologies, as well as considering hydrogen, propane and bio-diesel. Specifically, it will examine the spatial and facility requirements and cost to support different fuelling options; detailed information regarding regular maintenance of vehicles and useful life; realistic modelling of performance in extreme cold temperatures; proven distance ranges; fueling times, GHG emissions values, battery disposal, potential community partners, and an implementation road map. The City is a member of FCM’s Partners for Climate Protection Program, as well as being a party to the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP), which aims to improve existing air quality and to address health and environmental issues associated with development. The initiative offers knowledge value in terms of scoping out local solutions to meet provincial GHG reduction targets. The transition to cleaner fuel vehicles provides the City with an opportunity to model positive behaviours that improve the corporate environmental footprint and promote ecofriendly transportation. Co-benefits to this project include cleaner air and pollution reduction in the community. (Project description from original funding application)