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

Public Fleets are invited to join the 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. Send an email to the Green Transportation Program to receive all future AFV-TAG announcements.

The AFV-TAG developed in response to RCW 43.19.648, which requires state agencies and local governments to fuel publicly owned vehicles, vessels and construction equipment with electricity or biofuels to the extent practicable. The definition of practicable can be found in Chapter 194-28 WAC for state agencies and Chapter 194-29 WAC for local governments.

The guides for local governments took effect June 1, 2018. The Washington Department of Commerce regularly collects reports from local governments using more than 200,000 gallons of fuel a year. These reports provide a record of fuel use and fleet developments by government entities around the state. This helps decision makers at all levels develop action plans and react to opportunities to further their transition to clean fuels.

Next AFV-TAG Meeting

September 21, 2023 - 9 to 11 a.m. PDT

Join us to discuss:

Olympia and Washington policy updates
Electrification industry news and information
New funding opportunities for EVs
EV charging infrastructure – planning for new grants and technical assistance available to support your fleets

Past AFV-TAG Meeting Summaries

July 20, 2023

In the July AFV-TAG meeting, we discussed news and updates about the EV space:

Grants - awards and new opportunities
Updates about the NEVI program affecting Washington
Ongoing developments in EV charging standards (CCS & Tesla/NACS)
Fleet MHD reporting requirements (Ecology)
Peer-to-peer discussions about vehicle tests and Ride-and-Drive events

[Meeting Materials]
WSDOT update: EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan for NEVI 2023
Ecology’s One-Time Fleet Reporting Requirement
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2023-july/

May 18, 2023

Our spring meeting featured:

An in-depth discussion with featured speaker Dr. James Turner, Professor of Environmental Studies at Wellesley College, about his recent book, Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future, which explores why solving the battery problem is crucial to a clean energy transition.
Updates about bills and budgets passed during the 2023 Legislative session.
Briefings about recent events hosted by PNWER and Forth.

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2023-may/

March 16, 2023

The pace of change in the EV space continues to accelerate! This meeting included updates on the following important topics:

Legislative updates from Jim Jensen, Director of Washington’s Green Transportation Program
Grant and funding updates from Washington State Dept. of Transportation
Launch of the Regional EV (REV) Collaborative website from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
Clean Cities Coalitions introduction of the Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace Electrification Readiness (EMPOWER) program
Equity in Transportation Electrification from Front and Centered

[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2023-march/

Jan. 19, 2023

Our first meeting of the new year included important updates from Olympia about plans and funding opportunities from the Dept. of Commerce, and reports from policy specialists about what the legislature will consider this session regarding biofuels and transportation electrification.

Seattle City Light also shared insights about their fleet make-ready program, and plans for public and workplace EV charging infrastructure. How could this inform your interactions with electric utility service providers?
[Meeting Materials]
Clean Transportation Legislative and Program Overview
Alternative Fuel Reporting Program
Seattle City Light Transportation Electrification
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2023-january/

Nov 17, 2022

At our November meeting, we discussed:

EPA electric school bus grants with local partners
Learn about EV models coming in 2023 and resources available to help you keep up with new model availability
Hear an update from the Dept. of Enterprise Services about their fleet alternative fuels and electrification efforts.

[Meeting Recording]
https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv_tag-20221117/

Sept. 15, 2022

We heard about new charging infrastructure business models and the charging-as-a-service program offered by the City of Portland and OpConnect. Speakers addressed:

Lessons learned at the Green Transportation Summit & Expo
A new grant opportunity for electric fire trucks
Installing EVSE with funding from the Pollution Liability Insurance Agency

[Meeting Materials]
The Pollution Liability Insurance Agency (PLIA) Underground Storage Tank (UST) Revolving Loan and Grant Program
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_september-2022/

July 20, 2022

We:

Heard the latest from the Dept. of Ecology about the draft rule for the Clean Fuel Program.
Discussed what the Dept. of Commerce is developing around biofuels, renewable hydrogen, and programs for rural energy.
Learned about the importance of data to fleet EV transitions, and the value of telematics and managed charging to these efforts.

[Meeting Materials]
Dept. of Ecology - Clean Fuel Standards – please contact us at greentransportation@energy.wsu.edu
Dept. of Commerce – Green Hydrogen and Renewable Fuels
Data Capture and Planning for Fleet Electrification – Sawatch Labs
Frontier Energy
DSK
Heavy-Duty Electrification – Volvo North America
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_july-2022/

May 20, 2022 - Preparing for EV opportunities down the road

In the May AFV-TAG meeting, we discussed:

EV infrastructure planning from the state legislature
The next round of Electrification of Transportation System (ETS) grants
Rulemaking for EVSE regulations
Tools for identifying vehicles to electrify
Working with utilities on charging system

[Meeting Materials]
Roadmap for ZEV Infrastructure Deployment
Public Fleet Electrification Planning: Identifying Candidate EVs
EV Charging Considerations: DCFC vs. AC Level 2 - How to Work with Utilities
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag-2022-may/

March 18, 2022

March 18th happens to be the birth anniversary of Rudolf Diesel, credited with inventing the diesel engine. While diesel engines powered much of the economic activity of the last century, they have resulted in significant impacts: greenhouse gas emissions and unhealthy air pollution.

The time has come to find and implement alternatives to reduce those impacts as quickly as possible. This starts with cleaner, bio and renewable diesel fuels, followed by electrified powertrains in the coming decades. Hear about these diesel alternatives, including the new Electric Island showcase for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in Portland, capitol news from Olympia, and updates about WSDOT’s state and federal resources for corridor infrastructure for ZEVs.
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_march-2022/

Jan 21, 2022

We talked about new green transportation program resources, grants and funding opportunities, and then have an open discussion about WSDOT’s mapping and forecasting tool for ZEV infrastructure.
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_january-2022/

Nov 19, 2021

At our final meeting of the year, we discussed new green transportation program resources, grants and funding opportunities and then discussed WSDOT’s mapping and forecasting tool for ZEV infrastructure.
[Meeting Materials]
Infrastructure: Planning Our ZEV Future
[Meeting Recording]
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_november-2021_part01/
https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_november-2021_part02/

Sept 17, 2021

This meeting focused on the rulemaking taking place on key EV-related legislation passed this spring, including clean fuel credit generation, EVSE mapping and forecasting, and EV infrastructure standards. We also heard updates from the other Washington about prospects for the bipartisan infrastructure package and budget reconciliation bill, and what state and local governments might expect to advance transportation electrification.
[Meeting Materials]
Commerce presentation
NASEO presentation
CleanCities presentation(coming soon)
[Meeting Recording]
link:https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_september-2021/

July 16, 2021

We looked at more funding opportunities for public fleets, including results of the Dept. of Commerce’s Electrification of Transportation Systems (ETS) grants, and heard from award winners about the keys to their success.
[Meeting Materials]
Rulemaking Updates
Electrification of Transportation Systems Updates
[Meeting Recording]
link:https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_july-2021/

May 21, 2021

We discussed results of key legislation from this year’s legislative session, learned about how agencies are addressing environmental justice and inclusion, and continued to focus on grants and successful grant projects.
[Meeting Materials]
M Breish ppt
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_may-2021/

March 19, Spring Forward

Hope, like spring, is in the air. The arrival of mass vaccinations and economic relief for state and local governments are a real one-two shot in the arm for the future. Our spring AFV-TAG meeting continued our focus on Washington grants, with emphasis on WSDOT green transit funding and previous award winners. This meeting also looked forward to future grants with valuable information from the Environmental Justice Taskforce and data resources from the Washington Tracking Network (WA Dept. of Health).
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_march-2021/

Jan 15 2021– Washington State Energy Strategy and the Upcoming Legislative Session

In our first meeting of 2021, our panelists discussed topics related to the State Energy Strategy, the Governor’s budget and the transportation budget.
Meeting materials:
M Breish ppt
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_january-2021

Nov 2020 - Challenges as Small Cities Plan and Implement Alt Fuel and Electrification Strategies

Our panelists discussed the challenges small cities face as they plan and implement alt fuel and electrification strategies to meet local and state goals. We heard about legislative updates, including a report about the Joint Transportation Committee study on the benefits and costs of electrifying public fleets in Washington. We also continued our conversation about social justice in transportation.
Meeting materials:
Electrification Assessment of Public Vehicles in Washington
Analyzing Electrification of Public Vehicle Fleets in Washington State
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_november-2020/

Sept 2020 – On the Road – Vancouver

In keeping with our “On the Road” theme this year, Michael and Jim will use the magic of the internet to travel down Interstate 5 to visit with green transportation leaders in SW Washington, especially in the City of Vancouver and Clark County. In addition to electrification efforts in light-duty vehicles, the county will be home to electric school and transit buses in the near future. Also, don’t miss the chance to learn how neighboring fleets have joined together to get renewable diesel fuel at reasonable prices.
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_september-2020/

July 2020 – Cancelled

In response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s furlough directive to help the state reduce costs and weather the economic fallout of the pandemic, the Department of Commerce will be closed on July 17th. We anticipate many other state agencies who regularly participate in our bimonthly AFV-TAGs will be unable to participate as well. As a result, the July 2020 AFV-TAG meeting is cancelled. Thank you for your understanding.

May 2020 – On the Road – Spokane

In May we visited with green transportation heroes in the Spokane region, including a review with Rendall Farley of Avista’s report on their EVSE pilot program (here). It’s a wealth of valuable lessons learned about planning and installing EV infrastructure. He also shared their well-crafted plan to make a big difference toward expanding EV adoption and EV infrastructure. We also heard about green fleet progress from Nathan Groh, City of Spokane, and Steve Blaska, Spokane Transit. We finished with a deep discussion about serving communities through electrification, featuring Breean Beggs, President, Spokane City Council President; Lars Gilberts, CEO of University District; and Sabrina Minshall, Executive Director of Spokane Regional Transportation Council.
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://energy.wsu.edu/videos/alt-fuels-vehicles-technical-assistance-group-meeting_may-2020/

Mar 2020 – On the Road – Tri-Cities

Representatives from several public fleets and organizations in the Tri-Cities shared experiences with alt fuels and electrification successes from their region of Washington. Jennifer Harper, Energy Northwest, presented on Tri-City Transportation Electrification. Representatives from city, transit, and utility fleets discussed their experiences and obstacles about using electricity and renewable natural gas as fuels. Michael Kintner-Meyer, Pacific NW Nat’l Lab, gave results from their research about the impacts of EVs on electrical grids.
[Meeting Recording]
link: https://www.energy.wsu.edu/videos/afv-tag_march-2020/

Jan 2020 – Progress at the state and local levels

In addition to legislative and policy updates, this meeting featured presentations by Andrea Pratt, manager of the Drive Clean Seattle Program. She shared a report and photos about electric transportation from a recent visit to Norway. Philip Saunders, manager of Seattle’s Green Fleet Program, presented the latest about Seattle’s Green Fleet Action Plan and their pioneering use of renewable diesel and renewable gasoline in Washington.

Nov 2019 – School buses

This meeting focused on electric school buses, in part because of a grant opportunity from the Department of Ecology. Grant applications were due in December. We heard about the grant program from an Ecology representative. We also heard about the experience of the Franklin-Pierce School District, the first in the state to receive and demonstrate an electric school bus. This was followed by technical presentations from several OEMs, including Blue Bird, Lion, and Proterra-Thomas.

Sept 2019 – Transit buses

This meeting focused on zero-emission transit buses, in part because of the Green Transportation Grant program being developed by WSDOT for transit agencies. First applications were due in the fall. A WSDOT representative discussed the grant program. We learned about a variety of electric and fuel-cell transit buses through presentations from several OEMs, including BYD, Gillig, New Flyer, and Proterra.