Green Transportation Summit & Expo
For thirteen years, clean energy professionals have been meeting annually at the Green Transportation Summit & Expo (GTSE). During the 3-day conference, attendees participate in workshops, demonstrations, and educational opportunities. The expo serves as the West Coast’s premier fleet modernization and sustainable transportation event, and it offers an insightful glimpse at how industry leaders are cutting vehicle emissions. This year, Mary Till, Director of Business Development at Sawatch Labs, traveled to Tacoma, Washington where she experienced the latest in advanced clean fleet technology.
Pacific Northwest Leads in Advanced Clean Fleets
The Pacific Northwest is a long-established leader in electric vehicles (EVs), and they are also paving the way in adopting alternative fuel vehicles to improve the air quality of ports. With an established industry that includes numerous ports, hydroelectric dams, and boat manufacturers, the PNW sits in an excellent position to continue its success in producing and utilizing advanced clean fleets. As an example, the region is focusing on reducing drayage emissions by transitioning to alternative fuel vehicles for those applications.
Enabling Equitable Access to Clean Transportation
At this year’s GTSE, several presenters discussed their responsibilities to provide environmental justice to underserved communities. The initiatives ranged from bike shops offering instant rebates on e-bikes for low-income residents to the SiLVERS program, a project in St. Louis that provides EVs to senior centers for meal delivery and transportation. In the coming years, look for more programs to emerge that foster a sense of community, improve EV accessibility, and work toward cutting vehicle emissions.
Navigating a Carbon Credit Economy
Washington has recently implemented a Clean Fuel Standard law which establishes targets for the reduction of the carbon intensity of transportation fuels to 20% below 2017 levels by 2034. This market-based policy credits fuel providers for generating low-emissions fuels. For fuel providers that are unable to meet the carbon intensity reduction targets, they can purchase credits from suppliers that have exceeded the targets.
As this is the first year since the program was implemented, Washington fuel providers are learning how to navigate the program and capitalize on carbon credits. Reporting issues for non-metered EVSE and inconsistencies in recordkeeping prove to be a hurdle for some companies, as this limits their ability to register their credits. However, this opens the market for companies to facilitate carbon trading, and organizations such as the Interagency EV Coordinating Council help coordinate state and federal funding while creating transportation electrification strategies.
Cutting Vehicle Emissions is a Process
Clean fuel standards are prompting creative solutions. Whether it’s electrifying drayage vehicles, funding equitable programs to promote environmental justice, or creating an entire economic market based off buying and selling carbon credits. While these solutions may seem disconnected, they all share the common goal of creating a cleaner future by cutting vehicle emissions.
But moving toward a zero-emission fleet requires thoughtful planning and intricate strategies. Deciding which vehicles are candidates for electrification is a complex decision that shouldn’t rely on guesswork. Factors such as ambient temperature, elevation changes, braking frequency, vehicle idle durations, and many others affect the suitability of incorporating an EV into your fleet.
To efficiently build an advanced clean fleet, it’s recommended that you utilize high-fidelity fleet emissions reporting software. By meticulously monitoring every vehicle in your fleet, you will increase the certainty that your fleet electrification decisions are the right ones.
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