April 2016 Edition
WWCC Award Winners, Alliance Autogas Coast to Coast Tour, Member Updates, Upcoming Funding Opportunity, New Washington State EV Contract, Plus More!

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We're Improving The Way We Serve You
Same Service, New Membership Benefits 

We’re pleased to announce several upcoming changes in our membership structure!

Up until now, our membership was based on the type of organization members represented (government fleet, private fleet, fuel provider, etc.) with few specific benefits associated with those categories. In response to feedback gathered from all of you this past year, we have thoughtfully expanded our suite of services and created new opportunities for organizations to participate in our coalition. 

On our website, you'll find an overview of our new membership structure, which includes over a dozen new membership benefits, including assistance with Green Fleet planning, individual fleet consultation, and webinar sponsorship opportunities. We also invite you to review (and share!) our brand new brochure

When your membership comes up for renewal, you'll have an opportunity to make changes to your membership, choosing the benefits and services of greatest interest to you. 

We hope you'll share our enthusiasm for this new structure. Thank you for your support of Western Washington Clean Cities! If you have any questions regarding your membership or otherwise, just let us know

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This Year's Clean Cities Award Winners!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at this year's Green Transportation Summit & Expo! As part of the planning committee, we helped craft sessions on salient topics with well-informed speakers. Panels included many of our members, who had an opportunity to share their experiences and expertise with the 400+ attendees. It turned out to be an exceptional chance to learn from clean transportation professionals and technology suppliers from across the country.

Presentations from the conference are now available online

We hosted the evening reception, where we announced the winners of our annual Clean Cities Awards, recognizing our members who are dedicated to kickin' gas! 

Congratulations to our awardees:

  • Best performance by a public fleet: University of Washington
  • Best performance by a private fleet: Potelco, Inc.
  • Best achievement in electricity: Port of Seattle, Aviation Division
  • Best achievement in natural gas: Recology CleanScape
  • Best achievement in biodiesel: City of Seattle
  • Best achievement in propane autogas: Ferrellgas
  • Sustainable Commitment: City of Tacoma
  • Spirit Award: Greg Hansen, WSDOT

Together our region displaced 19 million gallons of petroleum, saving almost 100,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions -- the equivalent of removing 21,000 cars from Western Washington's roads for an entire year.

Learn more about each of our award winners.

Alliance Autogas: Coast To Coast Clean Air Ride

Join Western Washington Clean Cities and Blue Star Gas in welcoming the “Alliance Autogas Coast to Coast Clean Air Ride” as it makes its Seattle stop on Thursday, May 5. See firsthand the Ford F-150 converted to propane autogas in barely 90 minutes at the National Work Truck Show, becoming the “fastest recorded alternative fuel conversion to Propane Autogas.”

This truck is now touring the nation, on a 5,300 mile, 12-city road trip to demonstrate the benefits of converting to propane autogas. Come celebrate its arrival in Seattle with our friends at Blue Star Gas. Tasty lunch provided!

When: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Thursday, May 5th
Where: Blue Star Gas refueling station | 10802 E Marginal Way, Seattle WA
Free to attend – and includes delicious lunch catered by Peach & the Pig.

For headcount purposes, please RSVP to:
Christina Suarez -- 206-379-2031, csuarez@bluestargas.com

Member Updates

Our members continue to make progress in reducing Western Washington's petroleum use. Check out a few of our region's latest alternative fuel successes:

City of Everett: On Their Way To More EVs

The City of Everett became the latest fleet to join West Coast Electric Fleets this month! As an on "On-Ramp Partner," the City commits to evaluating whether zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) would make a good fit with their fleet before any future vehicle procurement. Partners also promise to take a critical look each year at how ZEVs could potentially fit with daily operations. 

West Coast Electric Fleets, an initiative of the Pacific Coast Collaborative, is a collection of public and private fleets committed to deploying ZEVs as part of a low-carbon economy on the West Coast. Their goal is to make ZEVs at least 10% of all new fleet vehicle purchases across the West Coast.

City of Olympia: Video Shows How Easy Driving An EV Can Be

In 2014, the City of Olympia leased six electric vehicles for their fleet to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money on fuel and maintenance costs. Last year, the City added another EV for a total of seven. 

To increase use, Olympia created an educational video to help staff feel confident driving EVs and to encourage them to be the vehicle of choice. This fun, educational video, featuring the City's own EV superhero -- “Captain EV” (and also starring the Assistant City Manager) -- has received rave reviews from City staff.

Watch the video

City of Redmond: Propane Autogas Pros

Working with Blue Star Gas, the City of Redmond has just completed the installation of a 1,000-gallon propane tank and fueling dispenser at their onsite fueling island.  The City currently has seven vehicles running with a bi-fuel system, including two Chevy Express vans, two Ford F-150 trucks, and one Ford F-350 truck.

Now that the fueling dispenser is installed, the City says that at least three more bi-fuel vehicles will join their fleet soon.   

King County Metro: Adding Eight More Electric Buses

Earlier this year, King County Metro officially unveiled their three all-electric buses, the first of their kind for the County. The buses currently operate on routes 226 and 241 serving Bellevue.

With the buses performing as expected, Metro is now looking to expand their fleet of battery-operated vehicles. The Federal Transit Administration is expected to provide over three million dollars for the purchase of eight more all-electric buses. The new buses will allow Metro to operate two routes entirely with battery power. 
ROUSH CleanTech: Now Fueling Ford F-750s

ROUSH CleanTech recently released a new propane autogas fuel system for Ford F-750 trucks. The model features a 50-gallon fuel tank on the driver's side for easy refueling. The 6.8 liter V-10 engine costs less than its diesel cousins and saves money at the pump -- propane autogas traditionally costs 30 percent less than gasoline and diesel fuel
 
Funding Opportunity: U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a funding opportunity for “Multi-Topics.” The NOI anticipates the following three areas of interest will be included in the funding opportunity: 
  • Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicles: Projects must develop and demonstrate medium and heavy duty (classes 3-7) plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and/or vehicles with connected and autonomous capabilities.
  • Direct Injection Propane Engines: Projects must research, develop and demonstrate a direct injection propane engine for on-road vehicles.
  • Alternative Fuel Vehicle Community Projects: Projects must accelerate the use of commercially available alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, and supporting infrastructure, through community-based partnerships.
The DOE plans to issue the official funding opportunity announcement in June 2016. We’ll be sure to alert you when it comes across the wires.


Question of the Month


What are the various vehicle weight classes and why do they matter?
 
Answer
From Our Blog
New Washington State EV Contract = Huge Price Savings

Good news for public fleets in Western Washington interested in electric vehicles!

The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) recently completed a new bid for the 2016 Nissan LEAF and the 2017 Chevy Volt. Why is this important? In short, the state contract provides public fleets with a convenient and cost-effective option to purchase the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, saving money (and reducing pollution) along the way.

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