Green Transportation Program

The Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Technical Assistance Group (AFV TAG) Supports Public Fleets

Public Fleets are invited to join AFV TAG

The Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Technical Advisory Group (AFV TAG) is a joint program of the Washington Department of Commerce and the WSU Green Transportation Program. The AFV TAG convenes fleet and facility managers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to discuss the latest technology and policy trends, and to share experiences about alternative fuels and vehicles.

AFV TAG meetings are scheduled for the third Thursday in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Join our email list to receive all future AFV TAG announcements.

AFV TAG Mandate

Next AFV TAG Meeting

January 16, 2024 – details to be announced

Past AFV TAG Meeting Summaries

November 21, 2024

What we discussed:

• News and conference announcements
• Funding announcements
• Clean vehicle rulemaking update - Josh Grandbouche and Dustin Watson, WA Dept. of Ecology
• Change management in fleet EV transitions - Chris Crockett, Gradient Xergy
• Cybersecurity in the EV and charging space - national standards development from Rita Barrios, Bosch

[Meeting Recording]

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:42 WSU Celebrates Native American Heritage Month, Indian Country 101 training invitation
• 0:03:24 Agenda and announcements
  • 0:04:53 New Renewable Diesel (R99) Guidance
  • 0:06:00 Washington EV Instant Rebate Program – now closed
  • 0:06:33 New Commerce resources – federal aid
  • 0:08:30 Update: MHD vehicle incentives coming to Washington
  • 0:08:48 Washington NEVI funding opportunity
  • 0:09:50 Funding opportunity: Washington EV Charging Reliability Accessibility Accelerator
  • 0:10:36 Update: WA Dept. of Agriculture Weights and Measures Program
  • 0:11:55 REV Collaborative shares readiness resources
  • 0:12:52 January 2025 cohort – Breaking Barriers Collaborative
  • 0:13:44 FHWA Funding Award – Charging and Fueling Infrastructure
  • 0:14:13 Current state green transportation funding
  • 0:14:44 2025 Green Transportation Summit & Expo – call for proposals
• 0:15:10 Ecology Clean Vehicle Rulemaking Update – Josh Grandbouche, Ecology
• 0:40:16 Change management in EV fleet transitions – Chris Crockett, Gradient Xergy
• 1:10:50 Cybersecurity in the EV and charging space – Rita Barrios, PhD, Bosch
• 1:56:00 Next meeting: January 16, 2025

September 19, 2024

Topics we covered include:

• News and conference announcements
• Review of the GTSE Conference
• Funding announcements
• SAE International – discussion of new EV charging equipment standards
• EV Batteries – End of Life: presentations and discussion

[Meeting Materials]
New EV standards - Dante Rahdar, SAE International
Leading the charge: battery stewardship in Washington - Vivian Ericson, Peak Sustainability
Building a sustainable battery supply chain – Tricia Dutcher, Redwood Materials

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2024-september/

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:47 Land acknowledgement and Indian Country 101 training invitation
• 0:03:04 Agenda and announcements
  • 0:05:05 New GTP team members
  • 0:07:50 New Renewable Diesel (R99) Guidance
  • 0:09:24 Update: Washington EV Instant Rebate Program
  • 0:10:55 Update: MHD Vehicle Incentive Program
  • 0:12:00 Washington’s Clean Fuels Forecast — meeting announcement
  • 0:13:24 Understanding Advanced Clean Trucks — Ecology webinar announcement
  • 0:14:34 Renewable Fuels Symposium opportunity
  • 0:15:30 WTA Intermodal Summit – meeting announcement
  • 0:16:20 ESBs in Practice – workshop opportunity
  • 0:17:20 Fleet Decarbonization Accelerator — training opportunity
  • 0:18:18 2024 Conference watch
• 0:18:43 Review of the 2024 Green Transportation Summit & Expo
• 0:32:29 Funding announcements: FHWA Funding Award, other funding sources
• 0:37:20 New EV Standards: An Introduction to the Society of Automotive Engineers – Dante Rahdar, Ground Vehicle Committee Manager
• 1:02:06 EV Batteries: End of Life Recycling – Vivian Ericson, Peak Sustainability, and Tricia Dutcher, Redwood Materials
• 1:55:35 Current EV sales

July 18, 2024

Topics we covered include:

• News from the GTP
• Grant opportunities for EVs and charging infrastructure
• IRS tax credits: Details about how agencies, local governments, and tribes can take advantage of this new opportunity to get clean energy tax credits.

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2024-july/

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:35 Land acknowledgement
• 0:01:11 Announcements and agenda
• 0:08:37 New Renewable Diesel (R99) Guidance (factsheet)
• 0:09:16 Washington EV Instant Rebate Program
• 0:10:43 Fleet Decarbonization Accelerator
• 0:17:58 Funding opportunities
• 0:19:00 Charging station resilience: DIY cable hardening
  • Jay Donnaway, Tacoma Public Utilities; Wade Hammerstrom, Clark PUD
• 01:46:14 Washington state coordination for the IRS Elective Pay Program
  • Amy Wheeless, Dept. of Commerce; Denise Nguyen, Office of Financial Management; Hanna Waterstrat, Dept. of Commerce
• 01:16:48 At the intersection of climate, energy, and transportation
  • Xantha Bruso, formerly with Energy and Environmental Economics
• 01:56:35 Upcoming meeting dates

May 16, 2024

We covered:

• Grant opportunities
• At-home fleet charging pilot program –Jamie Mittge and Reanna McNamara, WA Dept. of Labor & Industries
• Public EV charging infrastructure framework – Kyla Wilson and Eurydice Pentz, Pierce County
• Implementing the Transportation Electrification Plan, with school district examples – Rendall Farley and Bryce Eschenbacher, Avista

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2024-may/

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:00 Introductions
• 0:00:55 Land acknowledgement
• 0:04:10 Today’s agenda
• 0:05:18 Announcements and updates
• 0:10:18 Industry news: R99, zero-emission locomotives, Tesla
• 0:14:35 Regulatory updates
• 0:16:35 Funding programs for electric school buses in Washington
  • Kelly 0’Callahan, WA Dept. of Ecology
• 0:26:40 A framework for planning public EV charging
  • Eurydice Pentz, Pierce County
• 0:50:15 Transportation electrification planning and fleet electrification: progress, lessons learned
  • Rendall Farley and Bryce Eschenbacher, Avista
• 1:17:04 Case study - electric school bus and charging infrastructure
• 1:39:28 Upcoming meeting dates

March 21, 2024 – Spring AFV-TAG Meeting

We heard about:

• 2024 Legislative activities, focusing on new policies and funding opportunities of interest to those in green transportation.
• R99 — renewable diesel market report.
• State fleet electrification efforts at the State Efficiency and Environmental Performance (SEEP) Office at Commerce.
• A story of persistence and constant learning from the City of Mount Vernon, recently awarded a $12.5 million federal CFI grant to install 78 EV charging ports at the Mount Vernon Library Commons.

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2024-march/

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:00 Introductions
• 0:03:11 Announcements & Updates
• 0:23:11 Renewable Diesel Market Report
  • Megan Boutwell, Stillwater Associates
• 0:55:00 SEEP Zero Emissions Vehicle Program: Executing Executive Order 21-04
  • Seth Kolodziejski, SEEP Office, WA Dept. of Commerce
• 1:18:30 Grant Successes: City of Mt. Vernon Library Commons & EV Infrastructure
  • Jill Boudreau, Former Mayor, Project Administrator, City of Mt. Vernon
• 1:42:42 Additional Announcements
• 1:48:30 Closing Discussion

Jan 18, 2024 - New Year AFV-TAG meeting

This meeting included:

• A brief look back at green transportation accomplishments in 2023 and a longer look forward into 2024, including what we might see from the Legislature’s short session and supplemental budget.
• An update from Commerce about EV charging funding awardees and the EV incentives program currently being designed.
• A technical discussion about the challenges and obstacles of building out EV charging in Washington, best practices for maintaining a high degree of reliability, and the demand for EV charging in Eastern Washington.
• A panel discussion with transportation leaders who are working together to develop their EV transition plans.

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2024-january/

Timestamps for Key Contents

• 0:00:00 Introductions
• 0:01:53 Announcements & Updates
• 0:45:08 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Success through EVITA
  • Tanya Dion, Project Developer, Energy Northwest
• 1:14:39 Port Townsend-Jefferson County Climate Action Committee: ZEV Success
  • Cindy Jayne, Committee Chair
  • Nicole Gauthier, Jefferson Transit
  • Jimmy Scarborough, P.E., Jefferson County PUD
  • Julien Thorn, ZEV Co-op
• 1:59:22 Closing Discussion

Archive of Past Meeting Summaries

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019