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West Virginia Green Fleet Initiatives

Introduction

This policy defines and documents the process for purchasing, oversight, operation, and management of the State's diverse vehicle fleet. As such, this policy covers all spending units that have vehicles or metered equipment that operate on gasoline, diesel, electricity, or other types of fuel or energy.

This policy sets guidelines to minimize greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions of current and future fleet vehicles. Implementation of this policy will help the state meet its sustainability goals while reducing the short and long-term costs of purchasing, maintaining, and operating state vehicles.

The overall objectives of this policy are to:
  • Inventory and report fleet-wide GHG emissions.
  • Optimize the fleet size, by eliminating or reassigning unused or under-utilized vehicles while promoting car-pooling across spending unit lines. 
  • Encourage and educate state employees in eco-driving best practices (e.g., reduced idling, speeding, etc.).
  • Reduce tailpipe emissions (e.g., through advanced emissions controls).
  • Purchase, when necessary, new vehicles that provide the best available net reduction in vehicle fleet emissions, considering life-cycle economic and environmental impacts (e.g., by purchasing more efficient or alternative fuels vehicles).1

Oversight

The Green Fleet Team will oversee refinement and implementation of the Green Fleet Policy.

The Green Fleet Team composition is intended to include representatives from:

  • Department of Administration, Fleet Management Office
  • Department of Administration, Central Purchasing Division
  • Department of Environmental Protection
  • Department of Commerce, Division of Energy
  • Spending units desiring to participate

The Green Fleet Team will monitor purchasing of state vehicles, metered equipment, and sustainable maintenance products and services in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Green Fleet policy.

Progress toward these goals will be measured against the Base Year 2011.

Beginning in 2012, the Green Fleet Team will present annual reports of findings and progress to the executive and legislative branches.

The Green Fleet Team will recommend acceptable initial incremental costs for improved environmental performance based on fuel savings and emissions reductions over the service life of a vehicle.

The Green Fleet Team will conduct comprehensive life-cycle cost analyses (including fuel, maintenance, and operational costs, as well as factors specific to emergency vehicles) prior to purchasing fleet replacements or additions. The corresponding bid process will reflect this analysis.

Establishing a Baseline Inventory

The State of West Virginia will establish and maintain an inventory of the vehicles in its fleet. The inventory will also be used for the State’s broader GHG-reduction initiatives and to monitor specific emissions parameters that have been captured since the base year.

The baseline year for the inventory and for the Green Fleet Policy will be Fiscal Year 2011.

The State’s Executive Director, Fleet Management Office will develop this baseline inventory. The Executive Director will thereafter provide updated inventory information on an annual basis, in a reliable and verifiable manner, to the Green Fleet Team, executive and legislative branches.

The baseline inventory metrics will include, for each vehicle class and fuel or energy type the following information:

  • Number of vehicles by EPA vehicle size classification
(The size class for cars is based on interior passenger and cargo volumes as described below. The size class for trucks is defined by the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), which is the weight of the vehicle and its carrying capacity. Fuel economy regulations do not apply to heavy-duty vehicles, so they are not tested.)

Vehicle Size Classes Used in the Fuel Economy Guide

Cars
Class Passenger & Cargo Volume (Cu. Ft.)
Two-Seaters Any (cars designed to seat only two adults)
Sedans
Mini-compact Less than 85
Subcompact 85 to 99
Compact 100 to 109
Mid-Size 110 to 119
Large 120 or more
Station Wagons
Small Less than 130
Mid-Size 130 to 159
Large 160 or more

Trucks
Class Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)*
Pickup Trucks Through Model Year 2007 Beginning Model Year 2008
Small Less than 4,500 lbs. Less than 6,000 lbs.
Standard 4,500 to 8,500 lbs. 6,000 to 8,500 lbs.
Vans Through 2010 Beginning 2011
Passenger Less than 8,500 lbs. Less than 10,000 lbs.
Cargo Less than 8,500 lbs.
Minivans Less than 8,500 lbs.
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) Through 2010 Beginning 2011
Less than 8,500 lbs. Less than 10,000 lbs.
Special Purpose Vehicles Through 2010 Beginning 2011
Less than 8,500 lbs. Less than 8,500 lbs. or less than 10,000, depending on configuration
*Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is calculated as truck weight plus carrying capacity.
  • Annual miles driven (or annual hours of metered equipment).
  • GHG emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide equivalent).
  • Non-GHG tailpipe emissions (i.e., EPA criteria pollutants).
  • Quantity of fuel consumed by fuel type.
    • Gasoline
    • E-85 
    • Diesel
    • Biodiesel
    • Compressed natural gas
    • Electricity (i.e., kWh taken from the grid)
  • Cost of fuel consumed by fuel type.

This information will allow the Green Fleet Team to derive or request additional relevant information, including each of the above metrics for the State’s fleet (calculated by summing each metric across all classes of vehicles and metered equipment) or on an average per-vehicle basis (calculated by dividing the total number of vehicles into the report metrics).

Implementation Strategies

Optimize Fleet Size

  • The Fleet Management Office will provide utilization reports to each spending unit and make recommendations about possible fleet reductions including using alternative transportation modes.

Replacement Vehicles

  • Replacement vehicles will achieve the greatest level of emission reductions possible while still meeting the operational needs of the State and being cost effective. Alternative fuel replacement vehicles should be procured only when there is fueling infrastructure in place at State operated or local commercial fueling stations to support the operation of these vehicles.

The State will make every effort to obtain the vehicles that are the most efficient and emit the lowest pollutants as possible as measured by available emissions certification standards and those published by the vehicle manufacturers:

  • Light Duty Vehicles: The State will purchase or lease only models of passenger vehicles and light duty trucks that are U.S. EPA certified, where service levels are not negatively impacted.
  • Medium Duty Vehicles: The State will purchase or lease only Medium Duty Vehicles whose engines are EPA certified as low-emission when available for the given application and where service levels are not negatively impacted.
  • Heavy-Duty Vehicles and Equipment: The State will purchase or lease only Heavy Duty Vehicles or Equipment whose engines are EPA certified as low-emission, when available for the given application and where service levels are not negatively impacted.

Emission and GHG-reduction targets will be reviewed initially on an annual basis, using the current and future EPA formula, by the Green Fleet Team and modified based on vehicles available for that model year and anticipated fleet purchases.

Once a meaningful baseline measurement is established, three-year and five-year target goals will be identified. Updates on target progress will be reported annually or at more-frequent intervals as determined by the Executive Director, Fleet Management Office.

Vehicle purchase requests will be reviewed and minimum emission reduction targets will be employed when possible. The Fleet Management Office will work with spending units to identify the most fuel-efficient vehicle with maximum emission reduction available that can meet the operational needs of the spending unit, while taking into account the vehicle life-cycle costs and fuel availability.

Request for exemption to the Green Fleet Policy will be submitted in writing to the Fleet Management Office. The Executive Director, Fleet Management Office will determine if there is sufficient justification to award an exemption.

Reduce Vehicle Size

  • Encourage the selection of vehicles of a smaller class size whenever possible in order to achieve increased miles per gallon and lower emissions. Requests for new vehicle purchases must be supplemented with written justification addressing the need for a class or type. The Fleet Management Office will work with the spending units to determine whether a proposed vehicle could be downsized and still fulfill its required function within the department.

Increase Use of Alternate-Fuel Vehicles and Equipment

  • Alternate-Fuel Vehicles and Equipment will be considered for procurement, when appropriate to the application, as new environmentally- friendly technology becomes available that fits the organizational need and the lifecycle cost analysis demonstrates the procurement and utilization of the vehicle to be economically feasible.
  • Fuels with lower emissions (such as compressed natural gas, ethanol, electricity, and biodiesel) will be used when feasible. Vehicles using these fuel types will be strongly considered when evaluating vehicle replacement.
  • Fleet Management Office will provide a summary list of alternative fuel vehicles (by fuel type) in the State’s fleet to the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Commerce, Division of Energy as part of its Green Fleet Annual Report.

Vehicle Maintenance

Emission systems will be inspected annually.

Environmentally friendly products, such as recycled coolants and re-refined oils, will be used where available when cost effective and when it will not void the manufacturer's warranty. Re-treaded tires will be purchased for large-wheeled or slow-moving vehicles, when applicable.

Operation of Alternate-Fuel Vehicles

All alternate-fuel vehicles owned by the State of West Virginia will bear notice of the type of fuel source to be used in one or more locations that are plainly visible to the vehicle driver.

Reducing Other Environmental Impacts of Vehicles

In addition to tailpipe emissions, motorized vehicles and equipment may have other negative environmental impacts that can occur in their production, operation, and eventual disposal. Radiator fluids and other substances used in vehicles can have harmful consequences for the environment. Of particular concern are persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic materials such as mercury, lead, and arsenic, which can be released at the end of the life of a vehicle. When possible, the Fleet Management Office will continue to reduce the life cycle environmental impacts of state vehicles. State vehicles that are identified for retirement will be evaluated on age, mileage, and emissions in order to determine the most appropriate disposal option in accordance with federal, state, and local rules and regulations.

Implementation Procedures

The Executive Director, Fleet Management Office is responsible for performing the analysis and making recommendations or decisions regarding vehicles that are most appropriate for the state to purchase, with input from spending units. The Executive Director, Fleet Management Office will base the recommendation or decision for a new or replacement vehicle on the purchasing values described below. While consideration will be given to the type of vehicle requested by the spending units, Fleet Management Office will purchase vehicles that follow the State of West Virginia Green Fleet Policy and the desire to create a more fuel efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible state fleet.

Guidelines

Prior to the acquisition of any new or replacement vehicle, the following purchasing values will be considered and carefully examined:

  • Justification for the vehicle
  • Frequency of use (utilization)
  • Suitability for intended job
  • Fuel efficiency and vehicle size
  • Environmental impact
  • Initial and long-term cost
  • Safety and repair record
  • Hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle availability or preference

The Fleet Management Office will make every effort to purchase and use the lowest emission vehicle or equipment item possible, while taking into account the vehicle's lifecycle costs, life cycle environmental impacts, and ability to support spending unit operations and services.

Exemption

The Fleet Management Office may grant an exemption from the requirements of this policy under any one of the following circumstances:

  • Where the analysis demonstrates to the satisfaction of Fleet Management Office of the following:
    • That any amortized additional incremental cost of purchasing a lower emission vehicle that complies with the requirements of this policy cannot be recovered over the operational life of the vehicle or metered equipment through a reduction in fuel, maintenance, and other costs incurred during the operating life of such vehicle or equipment; and
    • That Fleet Management Office, or another spending unit, has unsuccessfully applied for grant funding for the purchase of the vehicle or motorized equipment that complies with the requirements of this policy. In such cases, the Fleet Management Office will refer back to preceding exemption criteria.
    • New emergency vehicles purchased under this policy must provide comparable performance, safety, and fuel availability during emergencies as conventionally powered emergency vehicles.

Increase to Fleet Size

Spending units seeking additional vehicles for their fleet must submit a DOA-FM-009, Fleet Permanent (One-year or more) Increase Request. The series of questions on the form provides needed information for the Executive Director, Fleet Management Office to complete a business need analysis. The Executive Director, Fleet Management Office will then work with the spending unit to reach a decision about expanding the fleet. The completion and filing of this form with the Executive Director, Fleet Management Office does not guarantee that an additional vehicle will be purchased, nor does it imply that the spending unit will receive the vehicle of their choice.

A DOA-FM-009, Fleet Permanent (One-year or more) Increase Request will also be completed by the spending unit if they wish to purchase a vehicle that is different in vehicle class from the one being replaced.

Annual Reporting

The Fleet Management Office will provide a Green Fleet Annual Report. This report will include updated fleet-inventory information, along with an update on progress toward the emissions reduction goal, the percentage of alternate fuel vehicles in the state fleet, and year-by-year performance for each matrix. The report will also include reporting on the number of exemptions, approved by spending unit and justification cited.

The Green Fleet Annual Report will be reviewed by members of the Fleet Green Team to determine program effectiveness.

Annual Fleet Management Office purchasing plans will be developed using the options listed above, recommendations from the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Commerce, Division of Energy, and spending units in accordance with other applicable state policies.

Definition

1Alternate Fuel: Any fuel other than gasoline, diesel, and other substantially petroleum based fuels that is less polluting than gasoline or diesel fuel. Alternate fuels include, but are not limited to, natural gas (methanol – CNG/LNG), propane (LPG), ethanol (E-85), biodiesel (B-6 or higher), electricity, hydrogen and hydrogen fuel-cell.