HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy-Fleet Electrification Policy 052024
TOWN OF LEXINGTON
FLEET ELECTRIFICATIONPOLICY
August 23, 2021 (amended 5/20/2024)
POLICY STATEMENT
To support the Town of Lexington's Climate Action & Resilience Planobjectives, 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 thosevehicles 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:
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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 FleetElectrificationPolicyappliesto all divisions and departments of the Town of
Lexington.
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GUIDELINES
The Town will establish a Vehicle Electrification Transition Plan with the following elements:
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 (most fuel-efficient vehicle for that class, drivetrain, and purpose)
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. Departments requesting
an exemption must explain why a BEV is not feasible for their intended use, and must still
follow the above priority order for vehicle procurement. All exemptions shall require
approval by the Town Manager after a recommendation is made by the Sustainability &
Resilience Officer.
3.Classification and Transition Objectives:
-EV program, the Town shall
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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
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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.
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 vehicle
available for that class, drivetrain, and purpose and consider fuel-reduction and emissions-
reduction technology, such as diesel particle filters, selective catalytic reduction systems,
exhaust gas recirculation, NOx absorbers, 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
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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
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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 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
Vehicle idling produces both excessive waste of fuel and air pollution. As a
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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
The Town and its employees will encourage energy-saving driving habits (i.e.
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awareness of sudden acceleration or sudden stopping), and paying attention to
the need for regular preventative maintenance of vehicles.
Reduce Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMTs)
The Town will reinforce employee awareness of vehicle miles travelled
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during work hours as well as for commuting, and will encourage alternate
travel practices such as carpools, vanpools, bicycling, public transit and
walking.
Vehicle maintenance
A well-maintained vehicle will optimize fuel use and reduce air pollution.
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Preventative maintenance that ensures optimal vehicle operation shall be
performed regularly for each vehicle.
Vehicles will be inspected regularly and prior to extended use to ensure
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correct tire pressure, oil and coolant levels, and to identify possible signs of
other fluid leaks.
The Town will dispose of hazardous materials such as waste oil, lubricants,
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antifreeze, and batteries safely through environmentally-responsible practices
and in accordance with all applicable state and federal regulations.
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Questions/ Enforcement
The Sustainability & Resilience Officer shall be responsible for administering this Policy. This
Policy shall be enforced by the Town Manager and or their designee.
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