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TOWN OF LEXINGTON
FLEET ELECTRIFICATION POLICY
August 23, 2021
POLICY STATEMENT
To support the Town of Lexington's Sustainable Action Plan objectives, the Select Board hereby
adopts this fleet electrification policy to transition its vehicle fleet to zero emission vehicles.
PURPOSE
The Town shall establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory of all classes of vehicles
owned, operated, or leased by the Town of Lexington and or on behalf of the Town of
Lexington. The Town shall establish objectives for emission reductions from those vehicles and
an integrated plan and timeline with objectives for transitioning each class of vehicles to zero
emission vehicles,prioritizing zero emissions vehicles, monitoring progress against those
objectives, and reporting the progress against those objectives on an annual basis.
The objectives of this policy are to:
• Reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the Town's vehicles
• Increase the use of electric vehicles in the Town fleet
• Increase the average fuel economy of each vehicle
• Optimize the fleet size and minimize vehicle size, weight, and other factors affecting fuel use
when appropriate
• Minimize vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
• Reduce total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the vehicle
• Reduce vehicle noise
• Maximize the use of grant funding and incentives to convert and purchase electric and
emissions-reduction technology for the Town fleet and EV infrastructure.
APPLICABILITY
This Fleet Electrification Policy applies to all divisions and departments of the Town of
Lexington.
GUIDELINES
The Town will establish a Vehicle Electrification Transition Plan with the following elements:
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1. Fleet Inventory:
The Town will maintain and annually update a comprehensive vehicle inventory for ALL
vehicles owned, leased, operated by the Town or on behalf of the Town and a plan for
transitioning those vehicles to battery-electric vehicles (BEV) or plug-in electric vehicles
(PHEV)vehicles.
As required by the DOER Green Communities Program, the Town will maintain an inventory of
all Town (Municipal and School Department) owned vehicles.
This inventory will include the following information: model, make, model year, month and year
purchased, VIN, drive system, weight class, miles per gallon, annual miles driven, total fuel
consumption, department, vehicle function.
2. Electric-first procurement Vehicle procurement should be prioritized as follows:
1. BEV
2. PHEV
3. Hybrid-electric vehicle or other alternative fuel vehicle
4. Standard vehicle
The fleet policy is electric-first, meaning that electric vehicles (EVs) shall be prioritized when
the Town purchases or leases motor vehicles for its municipal operations. Beginning in FY22, all
light-duty passenger vehicles purchased or leased are required to be BEVs.
Departments may request an exemption from the BEV replacement. All exemptions shall require
approval by the Town Manager after a recommendation is made by the Sustainability Director.
3. Classification and Transition Objectives:
For each vehicle class defined by the Commonwealth's MOR-EV program, the Town shall
establish targets for the transition of vehicles in that class to a zero emissions option every three-
years.
The classifications may include: passenger vehicles,passenger vans, cargo vans,police cruisers,
ambulances, fire trucks, public works vehicles, school buses and other categories of vehicles that
are appropriate to effectively capture all the vehicles in the inventory.
Staff shall assess the suitability of electric vehicle options for each vehicle class, with respect to
availability, range and load requirements and, any emergency response requirements, to
determine practicability. When developing the transition plan, Staff shall evaluate emissions
reductions, Total Life Cycle Cost as defined in the Sustainable Action Plan, including
acquisition, operations, maintenance, emission fees, electric vehicle charging infrastructure,
available grants, etc. The Town will develop a standardized calculation for determining life
cycle costs for different classes of vehicles.
The transition plan will prioritize replacing vehicles at the end of their expected useful life.
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Where the Town contracts vehicle services, the Town will provide a preference for contracts and
seek out companies for competitive bidding that offer the use of electric and/or fuel-efficient
vehicles.
4. Purchase,lease or contracting of standard vehicles
If the transition plan identifies that an EV is not commercially available or not suitable for a
particular class of vehicles when replacement of a vehicle in that classification is required, a
standard vehicle may be purchased.
If purchasing a standard vehicle, the purchase should prioritize the most fuel-efficient model
available and consider fuel-reduction and emissions-reduction technology, such as diesel particle
filters, selective catalytic reduction systems, exhaust gas recirculation, NOx adsorbers, oxidation
catalysts, anti-idling devices, etc.
Where opportunities exist,particularly if grants and new technologies are or become available,
the Town should pilot electric options for heavy-duty vehicles.
5. Evaluation of fleet and vehicle size
The Town will procure vehicles and equipment of minimum size according to assessed needs.
Specifically, the Town will ensure that purchase plans require vehicle class and model of the
smallest size and weight appropriate for each vehicle's tasks. All positions requiring vehicle use
shall be evaluated as to the required vehicle class size necessary to conduct the job.
The Town will evaluate ways to reduce its fleet size.
Departments will also investigate whether vehicles can be shared between departments. When
retiring a vehicle from the fleet, the Town will evaluate whether replacement is necessary.
6. Electric vehicle charging
Where possible, efforts will be made to install charging equipment at locations convenient for
vehicle users to minimize operational inefficiencies. However, flexibility may be required of
vehicle operators and Town staff to adjust procedures to accommodate charging locations.
7. Funding
The initial purchase price of policy-compliant vehicles and equipment may be more expensive
than standard vehicles in the initial years, while operating costs over the life of the vehicle will
be lower. Departments should estimate upfront investment required for vehicle purchases and
budget accordingly in capital budget requests. The Town shall evaluate existing capital requests
for vehicles and evaluate opportunities to fund additional upfront costs. The Town shall take
advantage of grant funding to offset the upfront costs of electric vehicles and charging apparatus.
8. Monitoring and Reporting:
Progress against the transition objectives for each vehicle class will be monitored and reported to
the Select Board on an annual basis. As part of this report, staff will identify the best date
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commercially available technology options for each vehicle class and provide recommendations
for adjustments to the objectives for each vehicle class.
9. Vehicle operation and maintenance
Where applicable, the Town will use available resources to build awareness and educate its
employees regarding responsible vehicle operation as detailed below.
• Anti-Idling
o Vehicle idling produces both excessive waste of fuel and air pollution. As a part
of this policy the Town hereby recognizes the importance of enforcing the
existing Anti-Idling Law, as allowed by M.G.L. Chapter 90 Section 16A.
Additionally, Town staff should reduce idling as much as possible in vehicle
operations. The Town will also incorporate anti-idling education into other public
health and sustainability forums.
• Reinforce operator awareness
o The Town and its employees will encourage energy-saving driving habits (i.e.
awareness of sudden acceleration or sudden stopping), and paying attention to the
need for regular preventative maintenance of vehicles.
• Reduce Vehicle Miles Travelled(VMTs)
o The Town will reinforce employee awareness of vehicle miles travelled during
work hours as well as for commuting, and will encourage alternate travel
practices such as carpools, vanpools, bicycling, puai�Hc qm s�l and walking.
• Vehicle maintenance
o A well-maintained vehicle will optimize fuel use and reduce air pollution.
Preventative maintenance that ensures optimal vehicle operation shall be
performed regularly for each vehicle.
o Vehicles will be inspected regularly and prior to extended use to ensure correct
tire pressure, oil and coolant levels, and to identify possible signs of other fluid
leaks.
o The Town will dispose of hazardous materials such as waste oil, lubricants,
antifreeze, and batteries safely through environmentally-responsible practices and
in accordance with all applicable state and federal regulations.
Questions/Enforcement
The Sustainability Director shall be responsible for administering this Policy. This Policy shall
be enforced by the Town Manager and or their designee.
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