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Rural Fleets and Vehicles
3 Steps to Success
[ Add content here to introduce this page. Great opportunity to put in keywords to help rural fleets and vehicle managers find this program to reduce operating costs. ]
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS
Vehicles in your Fleet and Use
What is your fleet used for? What age are your vehicles and where are they at in their use cycle?
Refuse Trucks? Light Duty transporters - Utility trucks (light, medium, and heavy duty) - public transit.
Refuse Trucks? Light Duty transporters - Utility trucks (light, medium, and heavy duty) - public transit.
"It was pretty easy... we were actually in the middle of data gathering for a fleet management Software for preventative maintenance software."
— Rob Branine, Director of Facilities and Operations, Port of Benton, WA
— Rob Branine, Director of Facilities and Operations, Port of Benton, WA
Fleet Data and Mileage
Log your usage, which many fleets already do.
- how far do you drive a vehicle daily/weekly/monthly/yearly?
- maintenance schedule?
- tire age?
- etc...
Find a competitive software choice for your specific needs
https://www.capterra.com/fleet-management-software/
or keep it analog with this downloadable PDF - [need PDF]
https://www.capterra.com/fleet-management-software/
or keep it analog with this downloadable PDF - [need PDF]
What are your goals?
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Fuel Economy
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Testimonials here about one or multiple of these reasons being played out in real life with the DEMOS
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Cost Savings
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see Tools for success to figure out more about these benefits
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Decarbonization
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[need content]
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Resiliency
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[need content]
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STEP 2: MAKE A PLAN
Budgets and Cost Analysis
Now that you have all your data or have started to keep track lets figure out where you can start an alt fuel transition. Use these online tools to get free information. Once you've compared - use this information to information for your budget - your 1 -5 and 10 year budget - figure out what you can afford.
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Vehicle Cost Calculator
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Compare your current vehicles bought brand new to an alt fuel vehicle brand new - this will give the best 1:1 comparison
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The AFLEET Tool
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The AFLEET tool or the cost of ownership calculator to get an estimated purchase price and get a total cost of ownership
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Capacity
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What staff, time and money do you have available for this transition.
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Many coalitions [ coalitions??] noted they didn't have enough staff, money, or time to make a full or partial transition to AFV's so its good to know before hand what it takes to make a project come to fruition.
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Do you need additional funding?
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To make a AFV transition sometimes additional funding is needed check here to see if you qualify for any tax incentives, available grants or can grants you can apply for yourself.
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quote about utah's grant app
Cost of Ownership
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Calculate the cost and savings
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This should help you gauge what you have budget for and where you might need to alter your capacity Use this AFDC link to compare the total cost of ownership if you were to buy something new.
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Budgeting Rules of Thumb
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Distance
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250 miles or less of daily travel and medium duty and below - EV is a great option
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Usage
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Heavy duty and longer hauls? Propane/Hybrid/Renewable fuels
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Consider Options
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Cant afford a Full EV? Hybrids are always a good option.
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STEP 3: TAKE ACTION
Take the knowledge you've gained from Steps 1 & 2 to begin to move forward. This could mean an array of things...
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Find an EV community Champion
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Quote about how having an EV community leader was they way many rural communities found success (pull quote) |
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Begin Procurement of Alt-Fuel Vehicles
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[ need content ]
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Alter budgets for coming years
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[ Do we have a budget tool? ]
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Find and write grants to receive money through an "Open grant"
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[ Link Open Grants page here for Federal programs - EPA, DOT, DERA, & DOE then list the ADFCs link for state incentives/open grants.]
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Take notes. Look for opportunities.
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Take notes of possible changes and find other ways to become resilient, economically conscious, environmentally conscious.
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“People understand it's the clean energy economy that's evolving over time, and that jobs are shifting" - Aaron White, Community Development Director, City of Eau Claire
