An initiative to adopt alternative fuels in public fleets across Virginia has passed its target. In 2014, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe originally set a goal to transition 300 vehicles to alternative fuels across the commonwealth by the end of his administration in 2018. McAuliffe announced this week that 319 vehicles have made the transition so far, including 36 within the state fleet.

State and local vehicles that have been transitioned include: light-duty propane autogas vehicles, such as trucks, vans and police interceptors; heavy-duty propane autogas vehicles, such as school buses; compressed natural gas vehicles, including sedans and refuse haulers; and electric sedans.

“With our 2014 energy plan, we set out to expand access to alternative fuel vehicles in a way that was cost effective for the Commonwealth and that leveraged best practices from the private sector,” McAuliffe said. “These vehicles reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, cut down on gasoline costs and support our Commonwealth’s growing alternative fuels industry, leading to job growth here at home and more sustainable transportation solutions. This is a great step forward and we will continue to work to make Virginia’s the cleanest and most innovative vehicle fleet in the nation.”

State agencies have supported this goal by establishing the public-private contracts that made possible the installation of propane and compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure and the purchase of vehicle conversions. These contracts, combined with DGS contracts for new CNG, propane, and electric vehicles, paved the way for state agencies and local public bodies to have easy access to alternative fuel solutions.

Governor McAuliffe also awarded Chesterfield County with the Governor’s Green Fleet Award for its leadership in the alternative fuels transition by implementing 50 vehicles and five advanced fueling stations that allow state and local vehicles to visit and refuel.