Graduate Research Guides Multi-Million Dollar Electrification Effort for California Fleet

The findings of a team of graduate students from the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy have helped the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, identify the requirements for electrifying the fleet and necessary infrastructure to support this.

As part of their Master's Capstone project, the students conducted 15 weeks of research and interviews with subject-matter experts, resulting in a 150-page insights report. This report provided the city's Public Works Services Department with data-driven findings to persuade the city council to make a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment in converting the city's fleet to electric vehicles and installing over 40 new charging infrastructure upgrades.

Within the report, city staff and other SMEs helped to shape some of the students' strategy recommendations (e.g., "how to order or sequence conversion," "what cars to prioritize?"). Surveying the city officials gave students insights into the challenges of the implementation of the project, which were also called out in the report.

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy graduate and City of Rancho Cucamonga Management Analyst III Lindsay McElwain spearheaded the student-led project. She reached out to Dr. Dora Kingsley Vertenten, Faculty Director of the school's MPA Online program, to see about doing a project.

Once approved, students began to uncover ways to help the city's EV planning, with the city eventually using the project data to put a plan in place for the EV fleet and charging infrastructure.

A Unique Approach to Fleet Utilization

The project's roots started with McElwain's consideration of a fleet utilization study. With 177 vehicles in the fleet, the goal was to find the best way to achieve the city's climate action goals. 

As an alumna of the Masters of Public Administration Program at USC Price, McElwain was familiar with the program's capstone project and its preference to partner with real clients for students to have practical experience on the actual needs of public entities to prepare them for future projects post-graduation.

When the need arose in the department for a fleet utilization study, McElwain reached out to Vertenten to see if USC would be interested in the project for a capstone. They were, and they were partnered with a student team the following semester.

At the time, the city had three chargers at the city yard for fleet vehicles; since then, they have added 10 chargers. However, according to McElwain, having almost 200 vehicles that ultimately  will need to be converted to EVs means that more is needed.

"Having the funding to purchase both the vehicles and install the charging infrastructure is a challenge," McElwain said. "Procuring electric vehicles has been a challenge."

Challenges Faced by the Student Team During the 15 Weeks of Research

According to the student Capstone participants, there were a handful of challenges that arose, including: 

• Missing data for vehicles, such as daily distance traveled, that would help students identify high-usage vehicles and appropriate battery range.
• Insufficient charging infrastructure made it difficult to make recommendations, not knowing charging capabilities overnight at city facilities.
• Limited timeframe to make suggestions.
• Scoping out the problem statement was challenging as there were many streams to dive deeply into.
• Students had to make different calculations for the city and fire department. Having a common data collection process would have helped in replicating data analysis strategies across the departments.

Project Findings That Influenced the City's Electrification Efforts

The student report identified that manufacturer delays for vehicles have been exponential. The city has waited over a year for some vehicles to be delivered from the date that they were ordered. 

"We're seeing the challenge where we can order a vehicle, and yet we still don't actually have it on site, and therefore aren't technically in possession of it until a year or so later, which doesn't really help us in the timeline that we initially planned," McElwain said. 

Solutions suggested by the students included policing vehicles and conducting a cooperative purchase, the latter of which enabled the city to acquire seven EVs. 

One of the most significant findings was the long-term cost savings of EVs for light-duty vehicles due to lower maintenance and fuel costs. The students were able to calculate the nominal cost per mile per vehicle and make recommendations on vehicles eligible for retirement that could be converted to electric.

Based on the research and gathered data, students found several findings that were especially meaningful: 

• Each vehicle was evaluated based on its utilization using annual mileage, retirement eligibility (age, mileage), cost efficiency, fuel efficiency, and mission criticality.
• 24 of 171 city fleet vehicles were identified as eligible for or nearing eligibility for retirement based on this data.
• 65 city fleet vehicles were identified as eligible for electrification at an estimated cost of $400,000 annually over 10 years.
• 1 of 24 non-suppression fire district vehicles was identified as high-cost and high-fuel consumption.
• 20 fire district vehicles were identified eligible for electrification at an estimated cost of $157,000 annually over seven years.

After the student report was presented to the city council, the public works department quickly determined the mission criticality of the vehicles assigned to various departments to identify needs better.

Once this information was collected, public works staff was able to draft a vehicle replacement program. According to McElwain, the program is still in draft form but is a detailed 10-year look ahead of what vehicles are scheduled to replace, which can be converted based on market availability.

"One of the difficult decisions we've had to make is, 'Do we really need this vehicle?'" McElwain said, adding that they are taking the time to analyze all 177 vehicles to determine the mission criticality of each and decide if any can be downsized or vehicles can be shared. "It is helping with the electrification, the cost savings, maintenance cost reductions, and the value that we have in our fleet."

Public works is also working with an electrical engineer to design the charging infrastructure needed at the city yard for a converted fleet, a project that is expected to go out to bid for an construction award during the current fiscal year.

Implementation of a Fleet Electrification Program

After implementing a Fleet Electrification Program, the city must take several immediate steps to ensure successful implementation, according to City Streets Superintendent Richard Favela.

These steps include assessing the current fleet for electrification suitability, developing an implementation plan for conversion, installing necessary charging infrastructure, reconfiguring the fleet maintenance facility to meet EV maintenance standards, training city employees, and establishing monitoring and evaluation systems.

"These steps help ensure a smooth transition to an electrified fleet and maximize such a program's environmental and economic benefits," Favela explained. "By carefully planning and executing each step, the city can effectively integrate electric vehicles into its operations and significantly contribute to a more sustainable and efficient maintenance program, bringing a brighter future for our city."

McElwain said this year they want to have a stronger focus on infrastructure. However, she acknowledged the challenge of knowing how to balance out the number of vehicle and charging infrastructure purchases. 

"It's sort of the chicken or the egg question, 'Do you get the vehicles first, or do you get the charging infrastructure first?' And we're at a point in public works at the yard, where we house our fleet, that if we don't have charging infrastructure installed, we don't have sufficient infrastructure for any additional vehicles," she said. "As other communities are considering the electrification of their fleet, they should ask: what is the balance between the number of EVs that you're purchasing and the charging that you have, and what is the schedule for installing those?"

Favela added that the city will measure the success of the Fleet Electrification Initiative through various key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics aligned with the program's goals. These goals include reducing emissions, improving cost efficiency, and ensuring operational effectiveness.

Metrics and methods to assess the initiative's success include measurement of reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, fuel savings, fleet performance, infrastructure utilization, total cost of ownership, environmental benefits, stakeholder satisfaction, and operational efficiency, which are essential for evaluating the initiative's impact. 

"Tracking these metrics will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the Fleet Electrification Initiative and enable informed decision-making for future improvements," Favela noted.