About - Electrifying Light Duty Fleet (UC Davis Fleet Services)
Spring 2020 - ABT 212
As the harmful consequences of fossil fuels are becoming more evident, people, regions, and organizations are stepping up. The University of California has taken great leadership in combating climate change. To guide research and change system-wide, the university pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025. Utilizing the universities' research potential, The UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative strives to reduce campus-related emissions and illustrate the path toward decarbonization. Greater than 95% of campus emissions are scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, from the direct burning of fossil fuels, and emissions related to fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation. This leaves ample room to address campus emissions right from the source.
As a contributor to scope 1 emissions, campus Fleet Services is looking at ways to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through electrification. Currently, the campus fleet is comprised of light-duty vehicles: sedans, SUVs, vans, and trucks. Fleet Services offers hourly, daily, and departmental rentals. With direction from Gil Tal, the Transportation Research Director of the Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center, we created a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and GHG emissions calculator to assist the campus fleet manager in navigating vehicle replacements to transition to a more electric fleet.