Techno-Economic Analysis of Implementing Hybrid Electric Utility Vehicles in Municipal FleetsStatus: CompleteReport Date: 08/20/2020 Summary: Utility vehicle data will help managers of municipal and local vehicle fleets determine the benefits of using hybrid and conventionally powered vehicles in fleets. For urban stop-and-go uses, hybrid powertrains offer greater fuel economy than conventional, gasoline-powered pickups and SUVs. For rural uses that include significant highway or arterial use, conventionally powered vehicles remain more cost-effective; while hybrids offer slight fuel economy improvements, purchase prices favor conventional vehicles at this time. Overall, plug-in hybrids offer the greatest fuel economy benefits. Hybrid use in winter produces improved cold weather fuel economy, possibly due to lower driving speeds and regenerative braking technologies. Extended idling and aggressive driving increase fuel consumption noticeably. Final Deliverables: Techno-Economic Analysis of Implementing Hybrid Electric Utility Vehicles in Municipal Fleets (Report #2020-25) Evaluating the Use of Hybrid Vehicles in Municipal Fleets (Research Summary) Related Materials: Evaluating the use of Hybrid Vehicles in Municipal Fleets (Blog Post) Related Research: Project Personnel: Principal Investigator: Will Northrop Co-Principal Investigator: Shawn Haag, Darrick Zarling Technical Liaison: Kevin Schlangen Project Coordinator: Thomas Johnson-Kaiser Panel Members: Al Thunberg - City of Minneapolis Andrew Offerdahl - Maintenance Cory Slagle - Washington County Transp Division Holly Gustner - Minnesota Department of Administration Michael Keim - formerly City of Bloomington Public Works Pat McCoy - Ramsey County Paul Johnson - Minnesota DNR Pete Barta - Minnesota Department of Administration Robert Ellingsworth - Maintenance Shane Wurst - City of St. Paul
