Alternative Fuel Vehicles
As part of our ongoing commitment to the environment and our customers, we are working with various groups to explore opportunities and promote the use of alternative fuel vehicles. We are also continually working to reduce the emissions of our vehicle fleet.
Helping fuel the drive to electric vehicles
We are currently involved with the U.S. Department of Energy’s EV Project, the largest deployment of EV infrastructure to date. The goal of this project is to enable a charging infrastructure to support the widespread use of electric vehicles. Several cities in Oregon are among the first group of communities to participate in this research project.
More information about alternative fuel vehicles is available at Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power.
Doing our part to reduce vehicle emissions
PacifiCorp is working with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in partnership with Eaton Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Altec, battery manufacturers, charging station manufacturers and a number of other utilities to create specifications and drive the standards for the future of hybrid-powered utility service vehicles (see image at left). PacifiCorp’s first delivery of these plug-in hybrid bucket trucks is expected in fall 2012.
PacifiCorp supports EPRI’s Electric Transportation program that conducts research and development on vehicle and infrastructure technologies that enable the use of electricity as a transportation fuel. The program has played a leading role in the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies that are now at the forefront of the automotive industry. The Electric Transportation Program has formed a major collaboration with General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Eaton Corporation on PHEV test and demonstration projects. The program also is developing intelligent infrastructure technology and standards, which will pave the way for smart charging.
Since 1999, our company has purchased and operated more than 150 concentrated natural gas (CNG) pickups used in meter reading, customer service and operations management roles. These vehicles have helped us avoid the consumption of about 124,000 gallons of gasoline or diesel fuel and have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 260 tons.
PacifiCorp is also actively pursuing new technologies to reduce fleet miles and related fuel consumption. Our ongoing transition to automated meter reading has allowed us to remove 27 full-size pickups from our active fleet so far. This has the environmental impact of avoiding 324 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. In addition, the automated meter reading fleet is now substituting a smaller and more fuel-efficient Ford EscapeTM for the older full-size pickup trucks. Each replacement with an Escape avoids the release of approximately 3 tons of greenhouse gases each year.