Vehicle Fleet Electrification at the Western Area Power Administration

Danielle Amir-Lobel, MS in Management Science & Engineering, BS in Symbolic Systems, and BA in Economics
Vehicle Fleet Fellow, Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)

This summer, I am working at the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) on strategic planning and data analysis for electrification of their vehicle fleet. WAPA is one of four power marketing administrations within the U.S., and they market and transmit wholesale electricity from 57 hydropower plants throughout a 15-state region service area. WAPA uses hundreds of vehicles to carry out its operations, which range from light-duty sedans to heavy-duty utility trucks.

In accordance with Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, and with the goal of combating climate change, WAPA is seeking to acquire zero-emission vehicles. EO 14057 specifically mandates that WAPA, and other federal agencies, acquire 100% zero-emission light-duty vehicles. To begin acquiring zero-emission vehicles, WAPA will also need to install electric vehicle chargers in its facilities.

My role is to analyze multi-modal data about the existing vehicle fleet, including the current vehicle locations, makes and models, lease or purchase timeframe, annual usage, and other miscellaneous factors including terrain and weather conditions. Further, I am working on a plan for electric vehicle charger installation at the many WAPA facilities. With these analyses, I am working to develop a strategic plan for each of WAPA’s five regions on how to meet their fleet electrification goals.

While most of my work on the project is done remotely, I had the opportunity to start off my fellowship by visiting WAPA’s Folsom office which is the headquarters for the Sierra Nevada Region. During this visit, we toured the office and learned about the various departments involved in WAPA’s operations, ranging from power marketing to finance, and maintenance. Next, we toured the Elverta substation and warehouse, where I got to see many different types of vehicles which are part of the fleet I am analyzing, ranging from light-duty sedans to heavy-duty vehicles and cranes. We also toured the Folsom dam, which is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, where WAPA has a substation powered by the dam. There, I learned about many challenges to providing reliable power (such as aging infrastructure, environmental concerns, weather, residential actions, or trees and animals) and the many maintenance operations.

This visit was very insightful for my project because I got to hear from people who are actually managing or driving these vehicles about some of their concerns. For example, they need vehicles which are suitable for driving long distances in remote areas, where there is often no cell reception, much less electric vehicle chargers. To alleviate this concern about driving range will require sufficient electric vehicle chargers spread across the routes and/or improvements in electric vehicle battery technology. I am currently working to take into account these range restrictions and study which of the challenges can be solved by adding electric vehicle chargers versus by substituting the current vehicles with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) instead of with electric vehicles for the time being.

My next steps are to continue analyzing the existing vehicle fleet and assessing the costs and benefits, both monetary and environmentally, of various opportunities for fleet electrification such as type of vehicle, PHEVs versus EVs, leasing versus buying, and feasible timeframes. I am also planning two more site visits to WAPA’s Phoenix, Arizona (Desert Southwest Region) and Lakewood, Colorado (Headquarters) and am excited to see more of WAPA, talk to additional constituents, and assess firsthand how vehicle fleet challenges differ regionally.