DETROIT – A joint Clean Energy Coalition (CEC) and NextEnergy team is working with the City of Detroit’s General Services Department, DPW, and Department of Transportation to assess the city’s fleet and develop recommendations for reducing spending and improving efficiency, according to the CEC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting clean energy technologies.

Clean Energy Coalition has already helped the City of Detroit establish city-wide contracts for fuel, used motor oil recycling, and retread tire purchases. Combined, these contracts are expected to save the city thousands of dollars every year. The team is also working with fleet managers to identify surplus vehicles and has helped generate $1 million in revenue from the sale of unneeded equipment.

According to Laura Palombi, project manager at the CEC, the “next steps are to explore strategies for using alternative fuels and to continue right-sizing the fleet through surplus vehicle sales and replacement strategies based on total cost of ownership.”

The Clean Energy Coalition and NextEnergy have also helped the city attain funding for major projects:

• Eight new refuse trucks utilizing hybrid hydraulic technology will be added to the city’s fleet through Clean Energy Coalition's Michigan Green Fleets grant. This $320,000 investment is expected to save the city fuel and operating costs.

• The Clean Energy Coalition and NextEnergy helped the Detroit Police Department apply for CMAQ funding for auxiliary battery packs for 200 patrol cars. These battery packs power all systems when the car is parked so fuel is not wasted on idling the vehicle engine.

• 100 diesel oxidation catalysts will be installed on diesel trucks, thanks to a $200,000 grant award to NextEnergy from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.  

More information about the CEC’s mobility programs can be found here.