Green Fleet Workshop
King County’s Hybrid Electric Fleet Program
Windell T. Mitchell, Director
King County Fleet Administration Division
Hosted by the Responsible Purchasing Network
www.responsiblepurchasing.org
March 29, 2007
Overview of Presentation
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Personal background
Overview of King County
King County’s Commitment to Clean Air
King County’s Hybrid Electric Program
King County’s Best Practices
Comparison of HEV and Conventional Vehicles
King County HEV Quality Survey
The Supply of HEVs
Conclusions
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2
Personal Background
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30 years fleet management experience
Received MBA, University of Washington
Served 13 years NAFA Board of Governors and 10 years NAFA Board of
Trustees – served as Treasurer, Western Regional Trustee and VicePresident
Received several awards:
– Business Week Magazine and NAFA Award for Quality Fleet Management Ideas
and Practices
– Larry Goill and NAFA Award for Regional Partnership
– Clean Air Recognition Award from the American Lung Association
– National Association of Counties Award for Efficiency in Fleet Management
– Blue Seal of Excellence award from the National Institute for Automotive Service
Excellence
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Recognized among the top ten fleets in North America – Utility Fleet
Magazine 2006
Certified to perform warranty repair by Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and others.
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Overview of King County
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Population = 1.8 million
Land Area = 2,134 square miles
15,000 employees
1,500 bus fleet including 237 hybrid electric buses and
159 electric trolleys
• 3,000 diverse fleet of vehicles and equipment
• 140 hybrid electric vehicles including 3 heavy duty
hybrid electric trucks
• 75 flex fuel vehicles
www.ResponsiblePurchasing.org
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King County’s Commitment To Clean Air
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1991 policy mandated that 50% of vehicle purchase must operate on
alternative fuels
1991-- Began Alternative Fuels Program
1995 – Largest fleet of police vehicles operating on CNG in North America
King County Alternative Fuels Program Used by US Department of Energy
as National Model
2001 – Began purchasing light duty hybrid electric vehicles
2002 – King County purchased 237 hybrid electric buses
2006 – King County joined the Chicago Climate Exchange
2006 – King County mandated that by 2012 50% of fuel consumed must
come from renewable resources or efficiencies
140 light duty hybrid electric vehicles and 75 flex-fuel vehicles
Largest consumer of bio-diesel in the State of Washington – about 2 million
gallons used in 2006
2007 -- Will take delivery of the first 3 heavy duty hybrid electric trucks
Made public commitment to purchase 400 plug-in vehicles
September, 2007 will host one of the largest clean vehicle conference
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King County’s Hybrid Electric Program
Why an HEV Program?
• Started in 2001 in support of King County’s
commitment to the environment
• No infrastructure costs
• Higher mileage range
• Lower maintenance cost
• Anticipated higher re-sale price
• High user acceptance
• Potential for lower life-cycle cost
• Reduced dependency on foreign fuel
• Reduced greenhouse gas emission
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King County’s Hybrid Electric Program
Benefits:
• Reduces fossil fuel consumption
• Reduces fuel cost up to 70%
• Reduces carbon emission up to 70%
• Eliminates fuel loss from idling
• Lowers maintenance costs due to extended maintenance
interval
• Significant contributor to meeting King County Energy Plan
and CCX target.
• Potential for reducing vehicle lifecycle cost
• Enhances public image of King County
• Establishes King County as a leader and a first responder in
addressing the issue of global warming
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King County’s Hybrid Electric Program
King County’s Experience:
• HEVs are reliable - very few incidences of malfunction
• Increase fuel efficiency up to 70% over similar conventional
size of vehicle
• High user satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of maximum rating of
5
• Projected HEV salvage value is 20% of the purchase price
compared to the actual salvage value of 12% received on
similar conventional vehicle
• HEV is the vehicle of choice of KC users
• Purchase of HEV is more attractive when the price of fuel is
high
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King County’s Hybrid Electric Program
King County Experience: cont’d
• Older model Prius not used for 3-4 days may experience difficulty
in starting due to drain on ignition starting battery
• Projected Maintenance cost for Prius is 13% lower than similar size
conventional vehicle
• Projected lifecycle maintenance cost of the Escape is 25% lower
than similar size conventional vehicle
• User expressed higher level of satisfaction with the Ford Escape
than the Toyota Prius primarily due to more conventional and user
friendly configuration
• Toyota allows only dealerships to perform warranty work on the
Prius
• Ford allows King County to perform warranty work on the Ford
Escape
• Shorter turnaround time experience performing warranty work on
the Escape than the Prius
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RPN Green Fleet Workshop Series
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King County’s Best Practices
• Provide ASE Certification training for all
technicians
• Provide Manufacturer Technician Training on the
safety features of working around the hybrid
electric high voltage system
• Purchase and have readily available rescue
equipment as recommended by manufacturers in
the event of an accident
• Extend HEV preventive maintenance service
intervals thereby reducing maintenance costs
• Provide driver orientation on the features and
operation of hybrid electric vehicles
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Life Cycle Comparison – Midsize vs. Prius
Conv.
Midsize
Prius
Difference
Initial Purchase Price
$15,410
$20,037
$(4,627)
Projected Residual Value @
100,000 miles
$(1,849)
$(4,007)
$2,158
Net Purchase Price
$13,561
$16,030
$(2,469)
23
42
(19)
$11,297
$6,456
$4,841
$5,694
$4,790
$ 904
$30,552
$27,276
$3,276
King County Experience
Fuel Miles Per Gallon
Est. Fuel Cost @ 3.00/Gallon
Est. Maintenance & Repair
Cost
Projected Cost of Ownership
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Life Cycle Comparison – SUV vs. Escape
Conv.
SUV
Escape
Difference
Initial Purchase Price
$21,704
$26,917
$(5,213)
Projected Residual Value @
100,000 miles
$(2,604)
$(4,341)
$1,737
Net Purchase Price
$19,100
$22,576
$(3,476)
16.7
27.7
(11)
$12,551
$7,567
$4,984
$7,400
$5,500
$1,900
$39,051
$35,643
$3,408
King County Experience
Fuel Miles Per Gallon
Est. Fuel Cost @ 3.00/Gallon
Est. Maintenance & Repair
Cost
Projected Cost of Ownership
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What King County Drivers Say About
Quality of HEV…
SURVEY CATEGORY
AVERAGE RATING
Performance in city
4.8
Performance on freeways
4.6
Handling
4.8
Fuel efficiency
4.9
Comfort - Driver leg room
4.6
Comfort - Passenger satisfaction
4.4
Reliability - Satisfaction with starting
4.8
Reliability - electrical system
4.0
Maintenance history
4.6
AVERAGE OVERALL RATING
4.6
Rating scale: 1=Very Dissatisfied 2=Somewhat Dissatisfied
3=Neutral 4=Somewhat Satisfied 5=Very Satisfied
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The Supply of HEVs
• Acquire HEVs from both state and county contracts
• Availability of hybrid electric vehicles is limited to certain
makes and models – supply is adequate
• Unleaded fuel is readily available
• Parts and supplies are readily available, accessible and
at competitive prices
• Vendor support is excellent
• Vendor training is available
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Conclusions
Summary: KC hybrid electric Program
• King County began implementing its hybrid electric
program in 2001
• HEV supports the County’s environmental corporate goal
• Life cycle analysis on HEVs indicates that this program
does not cost the county more over the lifecycle of the
vehicle
• HEVs are good for the environment
• Overall performance of HEVs has met manufacturers’
claims and the County’s expectations
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Conclusions
Successes:
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HEVs have generated strong user support
HEVs’ introduction in the fleet was seamless
HEVs’ performance is reliable
HEVs use less fuel
HEVs emit up to 70% less CO2
HEV Program positioned King County as a national
leader and first adopter of climate change mitigation
technology
• HEV use has made King County a repository of
information in the use of hybrid electric technology
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RPN Green Fleet Workshop Series
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Conclusions
Challenges:
• HEV availability is limited to certain makes and models
• HEV prices are higher than conventional vehicles
• HEVs from Toyota result in higher cost and longer turnaround
time from ferrying vehicles to dealerships for warranty repairs
• HEV technology is new, therefore there exists a lack of
historical data
• HEV training for technicians is not always available on site
• HEV’s high voltage technology may pose a danger in case of
accident
• Convince Toyota to allow in-house warranty repair
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Conclusions
Next Steps:
• Increase the number and diversity of hybrid electric fleet
• Expand hybrid electric fleet to include heavy duty trucks
• Seek grant funding to offset the incremental higher cost
of heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicles
• Use the Responsible Purchasing Network Guide to
develop a strategic plan for mitigating global warming
• Use the Responsible Purchasing Network as a resource
to select fuels that minimize greenhouse gas emission
• Publish King County’s success with HEVs
www.ResponsiblePurchasing.org
RPN Green Fleet Workshop Series
18
Green Fleet Workshop
King County’s Hybrid Electric Fleet Program
Windell T. Mitchell, Director
King County Fleet Administration Division
Hosted by the Responsible Purchasing Network
www.responsiblepurchasing.org
March 29, 2007