Fleet Planning Tool – Municipal Fleet Electrification Tools

This field is required.

Max length is 15 digits.

This field doesn't follow phone format.

This field doesn't follow email format.

Step 1. Framing Questions

Note: If you are not your organization's fleet manager, it is important to talk to your fleet manager before diving in!

Here are some questions to help guide your analysis and conversations within your organization:

1. Where and how is fleet data collected and organized?

Data collection and organization is a primary challenge in many fleet projects. It is important to understand how your organization tracks key data fields such as vehicle mileage, usage, and Life-To-Date maintenance costs.
Our tool will help you organize your data into a clear format that will be used in this analysis and can help you in projects beyond this one.

2. Which vehicles might be excluded from analysis?

Municipal fleets are diverse. You may not need to include all vehicles in your fleet assessment and electrification analysis.
Examples of exclusions include existing EVs, vehicles without propulsion (e.g. trailers) and specialty vehicles that need to be addressed separately due to their specific use case (e.g street sweepers).
Whatever you decide, save yourself the time and exclude these vehicles from the rest of the process.

3. Are there opportunities for vehicles to be downsized, thus enabling accelerated electrification?

There may be opportunities in your organization’s fleet to “right-size” a vehicle to its function. For example, a building inspector driving a pickup truck may be able to perform their job in a sedan.
Cultural barriers within organizations can make these conversations difficult but the potential total cost of ownership savings that can be realized by downsizing vehicles can incentivize the change. Engaging the appropriate stakeholders and getting the conversations started early will streamline the process when a specific vehicle comes up for replacement.

4. Does your fleet currently use telematics (GPS) data?

Higher quality data leads to higher quality analysis. Vehicle telematics provide detailed vehicle usage data that enable fleet managers to have high confidence when making the decision to electrify a vehicle. Telematics also provide safety benefits, help reduce operating costs and monitor real-time state-of-charge for electric vehicles.
Though telematics data are not used in this tool, it is an extremely important consideration as part of a larger fleet electrification effort. Investing in telematics now will support future vehicle purchasing decisions and management of an electric fleet.

To learn more about telematics, click here.

5. What existing EV charging infrastructure, if any, does your organization already have?

Understanding what type of EV charging infrastructure your organization owns and where it is located will inform near-term vehicle electrification decisions. It will also serve as the basis for future development to support an electrified fleet.
However, most organizations do not have significant existing infrastructure. The specifics of the EV charging infrastructure required to support your electric fleet, and the associated planning, are explored further in the “Facility Assessment Tool”.

Having these conversations will be key to successfully completing the fleet analysis process.

Step 2.1. Data Collection and Organization

Whether you are hiring a consultant or performing an in-house analysis, a complete dataset will streamline the fleet electrification assessment process, saving time and money. However, we understand that municipal fleet data is often kept across multiple databases and sources. Therefore, to help you to be efficient in your data collection exercise, we detail the data which you will need.

The Fleet Database Template outlines and describes all necessary data fields so you can easily create a database ready for a fleet electrification assessment. Once all the fleet information is in the template, you will then copy and paste it into the Fleet Electrification Planning Tool.

Click here to download the Fleet Database Template

The next two pages provide guidance on navigating the Fleet Database Template and give pointers on where to find your fleet's data.
We know the amount of data can be overwhelming and time-intensive, but take your time. We will be here when you are done!

Step 2.2. Navigating the Fleet Database Template

In the Fleet Database Template, there are two tabs: Fleet Data Template tab and Parameters tab. In the Fleet Data Template tab, each data field is described in a note on the field header, with example data inputs below it. We have included some data fields that are optional and marked them in orange. The optional data fields allow you to get more fine-grained results, but they are not necessary and you can still get good results without them. To see a list of which data fields are required vs optional, click the button below.

One of the optional data fields requires simple inputs to be provided in the Parameters tab by the user in order to proceed.

Step 2.3. Where to Look for data

The data required for this analysis can likely be found in the following sources:

Vehicle inventory kept by fleet manager (likely in Excel)
FASTER or equivalent asset database that contains vehicle mileage
Fleet fueling system (e.g. FuelMaster), which may be automatically integrated into your fleet's asset database

Note: This VIN Decoder can help you identify vehicle characteristics, such as body class, in cases where your organization does not have that data recorded. If you have lots of vehicles to get through, this page has a batch decoder (second from the bottom) that can process 50 vehicles in one go!

Step 2.4. Getting Acquainted with the Tool

Okay, now that you have framed your approach and organized your data, it is time to dive into the analysis! To bring some analytical muscle, we have provided a downloadable Excel tool to drive the analysis. Please download and open it so we can walk you through some key points.
Note: You will have to enable macros for it to work correctly, and we recommend you turn off automatic calculations when you first open the tool to help it run more smoothly.

Click here to download the Full Fleet Planning Tool

The four tabs you will see in the file you downloaded are as follows:

Dashboard: On the Dashboard Tab you will find summary graphics that give you a snapshot of your analysis results. All you have to do here is select which items you want to show up in the graphs using the splicers on the left; you can multi-select by clicking on the icon with three checkmarks. You only need to use the “Update Dashboard” button after making changes in the Parameters or Fleet Data Template tabs.

Parameters: On the Parameters tab you will enter key information about your fleet such as fuel types, expected vehicle life, department emergency designations, and facility names. The “Department” and “Facility Names” groups will automatically fill the “Name” and “Address” columns, respectively, based on the information you enter in the Fleet Data Template Tab.

Fleet Data Template: This is identical to the data organizer you downloaded and filled out in Step 2. All you have to do now is copy and paste the information from that sheet into this one. Afterwards, check the Parameters tab for any new emergency designations or facility names you may need to specify (if they don’t automatically update, go to “Formulas” > “Calculate Now” on the Excel menu to make sure they appear), then head to the Dashboard tab and click the “Update Dashboard” button to run the calculations when you’re done.

Detailed Results: While the Dashboard will give you an overview of the results for the whole fleet, this sheet will give you results down to the individual vehicle. This tab is populated automatically based on information from the Fleet Database Template and Parameters tabs.

You may notice that there's a fifth tab called "Facilities Outputs". If this is your first time going through the Fleet Planning analysis, it's best that you leave this tab alone. It'll be useful for completing the Facilities Assessment.
As you click through the rest of the tool, it will guide you through the Excel download and provide helpful resources along the way.

Step 2.5. Preparing Your Analysis Parameters

Before copying the Fleet Database Template into the Excel Tool, there are several parameters that you need to define. All cells editable by the user are marked with purple text. A summary and instructions for each is provided below.

Parameters

Optional Data

The Optional Data Parameters allow the user to indicate which (if any) optional data fields are provided.

Analysis Parameters

The Analysis Parameters allow the user to input variables that impact the Vehicle Replacement Timeline, the EV Identification Analysis, the Total Cost of Ownership Analysis, and the Carbon Emissions Calculations.

Vehicle Placement Analysis: These parameters impact the replacement years for each vehicle. Values specific to your organization may be found in internal fleet regulations/policies.

Expected Service Life (years): Enter a general expected service life for emergency and non-emergency vehicles in your organization’s fleet. If an expected service life for each vehicle has been provided these cells will lock.

Expected Lifecycle Utilization (Mileage): Enter the expected lifetime mileage of emergency and non-emergency vehicles in your organization’s fleet.

Replace Now Thresholds: Enter thresholds at which a vehicle should be replaced. For example, if a vehicle reaches 150% of its expected mileage or its life-to-date maintenance costs exceed the purchase price it may be time for replacement.

EV Identification: These parameters impact the identification of an EV Type.

Include Auxiliary Loads: Allows user to toggle whether or not estimated auxiliary loads (HVAC, sirens etc.) are included in a vehicle’s daily energy use. Default is yes.

Total Cost of Ownership: These parameters impact the fueling and maintenance costs considered in the TCO calculations.

Fuel Cost (units vary): Users can input gas, diesel, compressed natural gas and electricity costs specific to their organization. Default inputs for gas diesel and electricity prices are based on actual municipal data. Default CNG prices is based on the past 5-year averaged price in the United States.

PG&E Commercial EV Rates: Users can decide whether they want to consider the impacts of PG&E’s upcoming Commercial EV Rates on Total Cost of Ownership. Selecting this option removes the user’s ability to enter a custom electricity cost and uses a weight average rate of electricity based on PG&E’s rate schedule. You will need to put the fraction of time you will spend charging your vehicles on-, off- and super off-peak. The safety factor is to acknowledge that the daily fleet energy use may vary from day to day from the average. The default is 1.1 meaning a 10% deviation. You can change this to a figure that makes sense for your fleet.

Operating & Maintenance Costs ($/mile): Users can provide O&M costs specific to their organization. Default O&M costs for ICE vehicles are based on actual observed municipal data. Default O&M costs for EVs are based on data provided by AAA.

TCO Calculation Period (years): Users can choose the time period over which TCO is calculated. Default is set to a standard 10 years.

Include Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Incentives: Users can indicate whether they would like to include CVRP rebates in the TCO analysis, thereby reducing the MSRP of the EV models considered.

Location of Primary Fleet Center: Users can specify whether their organization’s primary fleet center is located in a Disadvantaged Community. If yes, they will be eligible for increased CVRP rebates.

Carbon Emissions Calculations: These parameters change the carbon emission reductions associated with vehicle electrification.

Carbon Intensity of Electricity: Users can choose whether the electricity used to charge vehicles comes from the California grid or if their organization is enrolled in a 100% renewable electricity option.

Engine Characteristics

The Engine Characteristic Parameters specify which existing vehicle Fuel Types and Powertrains can be analyzed. These parameters are not currently editable by the user, but this will be updated in future iterations of the tool.

Departments

The Department Parameters are where the user inputs all of the departments being analyzed.

- Name: This column automatically updates with the names of each unique department listed in the Fleet Data Template.
- Emergency Designation: Enter whether each department’s vehicles are generally used for emergency response (e.g. Police & Fire).

Facility Names

The Department Parameters are where the user inputs all of the separate facilities being analyzed. This is separate from Departments since some municipalities will have multiple departments at one facility or one department at multiple facilties.

- Address: This column automatically updates to have each unique address from the Fleet Data Template.
- Facility Name: Enter the name of the facilities which correspond to the listed addresses.

Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging

The information here is tailored specifically to PG&E’s B-EV tariff. If you are not in PG&E territory, this will not apply to you.

Fractions Charging On/Off/Super Off Peak: These values, shown as numbers divided by 24, are estimates of how your charging will be spread out throughout the three Time-of-Use (TOU) periods in the B-EV tariff. The default values assume even charging throughout the day (this will likely NOT be the case for your fleet).

Step 3: Vehicle Replacement Timeline

The Fleet Planning Tool automatically calculates a replacement timeline for the vehicles you included in the Fleet Database Template.

This replacement timeline is based on age, utilization, and maintenance cost of your vehicles, as well as the “Replace Now” thresholds you defined on the “Parameters” tab. Each factor is projected into the future and a replacement year is assigned when one parameter reaches its “Replace Now” threshold.

A replacement timeline can guide strategic planning thus enabling your organization to understand when it should be expecting significant investment in vehicle electrification or charging infrastructure.

Step 4: Potential EV Replacement Analysis

Based on vehicle characteristics such as average daily mileage, auxiliary loads, average daily energy use, body type, and status as an emergency or non-emergency vehicle, the Fleet Assessment Tool recommends an “EV Type” for each vehicle. Each “EV Type” has a representative model that is used in the Total Cost of Ownership Calculations. The “EV Types” are defined below:

Type	Body Class/Type	Description	Example Model	Range (mi)	Battery Capacity (kWh)
Type 1	Motorcycle	Motorcycle	Zero SR/S	68	7.2
Type 2	Sedan/Wagon	Short-range, non-emergency	Nissan Leaf S	170	40
Type 3	Sedan/Wagon	Long-range, non-emergency	Chevy Bolt	259	60
Type 4	SUV	Long-range, small SUV, non-emergency	Hyundai Kona	258	64
Type 5	SUV	Long-range, small SUV, emergency	Tesla Model Y	315	75
Type 6	Minivan	Passenger van, non-emergency	Chrysler Pacifica	32	16
Type 7	Pickup	Small pickup, emergency or non-emergency	Lordstown Endurance<sup>1</sup>	260	106
Type 8<sup>3</sup>	Van	Cargo van, non-emergency	Chanje V8100	150<sup>2</sup>	100
Type 9<sup>3</sup>	Vocation/Cab Chassis	Chassis cab, work truck	Motiv EPIC 4 (Ford E450 Chassis)	100	106 or 127

Specifications are based on expected vehicle attributes and are subject to change.
Assumed range with 2,000 pounds payload
TCO for these EV Types is not currently calculable, due to a lack of pricing data.

If, based on these factors, a commercialized EV is not currently available the Tool returns “None”. Given the rapid pace of innovation in the EV innovation these EV Types will continue to be updated. A list of all available EVs can be found here.

NB: Though optional, the data parameters "FHWA Class" and "GVWR" can greatly improve the EV Type classification accuracy for your vehicles. For example, the Ford F350, a relatively common pickup truck, will be erroneously classified as a Type 7 EV rather than a Type 9 EV if neither FHWA Class nor GVWR are entered for the vehicle.

Step 5: Total Cost of Ownership

Based on the representative vehicle model of each EV Type recommended, the Fleet Assessment Tool calculates the estimated TCO for that vehicle. This TCO is then compared to the TCO for a representative Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle to understand the potential savings of electrifying each vehicle. These savings are then aggregated across the entire fleet by department.

The expected carbon emissions of each EV Type and representative ICE vehicle are also compared to estimated carbon emission reductions from fleet electrification. The Fleet Assessment Tool also provides a theoretical scenario of emission reductions that tracks with the Vehicle Replacement Timeline and assumes that sufficient EV options become available for all vehicles included in the analysis.

Additional resources for TCO and emission reduction calculations can be found here:

Argonne National Lab – Alternative Fuel Life-Cycle Environmental & Economic Transportation (AFLEET) Tool

For users interested in exploring TCO and emissions of a portion of their fleet in more detail, AFLEET provides detailed estimates of petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutant emissions and costs of ownership for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. It includes the ability to analyze on- and off-road vehicles.

University of California Davis Electric Vehicle Explorer

The Electric Vehicle Explorer analyzes annual vehicle energy costs based on a user-defined commute pattern. It enables users to compare different EV models and may be a useful tool for Fleet Managers to explore specific models in detail. Overall, it is geared more towards individual users.

Step 5: Final Considerations

Now that you have identified a Vehicle Replacement Timeline, explored EV options for your fleet, estimated cost savings and carbon emission reductions, you may be ready to pursue the purchase of EVs for your fleet!

Click here for resources on procurement for public agencies.

There are a handful of additional considerations that may help you make a purchasing decision:

When you are ready to replace a vehicle, it is important to reassess whether or not that asset needs replacing at all, based on its utilization.
Has telematic data become available between initial analysis and a vehicle’s replacement date?
- If so, you may want to consider using a licensed EV identification tool to determine an appropriate EV option. A detailed analysis using telematic data can take into consideration variability in daily driving patterns, driver behavior and detailed O&M costs and provide a specific recommendation down to the vehicle model and battery specifications.

The free tools accessible on EVFleet.tools are intended for general guidance only. Users should directly engage a professional consultant or engineer for any design or purchasing decisions. EVFleet.Tools and all affiliates take no responsibility and are not liable for any damage caused through decisions made through use of these products. All use of these tools is at your own risk and no implied warranty should be inferred.

Required Data	Optional Data
Equipment ID	Expected Service Life (yrs)
Make	Fuel Usage
Model	FHWA Vehicle Class
Model Year	Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
Purchase Price
Aux. Eq. Cost
Current Life-to-Date (LTD) Maintenance Cost
Fuel Type
Powertrain
Department
Domicile Location
Meter Type
Beginning Meter Read
Ending Meter Read
Body Class

EV Fleet Tools