More than 30 people joined the Fredericksburg City Government’s Alternative Fuel Vehicle Workshop on October 27, 2022, as per Potomac Local News.
Attendees learned about alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) technology from the Virginia Clean Cities (VCC) project team and AFV industry experts ABM, Sonny Merryman Inc., Blue Bird and Roush CleanTech.
100% renewable energy sources by 2035
The Drive Clean Rural USA project is a move for the city as it works to achieve the City Council’s aim of powering municipal operations with 100% renewable energy by 2035.
“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
He announced the 2035 goal two years ago, and regulators have spent the time working out the details of what Newsom said was “the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations.”
As a part of this project and workshop, all three entities went through a fleet assessment to set fleet operations’ baseline. By participating in this effort, the city intents to plan and identify transition opportunities to a clean and city-wide fuel-powered fleet.
Those in attendance represented the Fredericksburg City Public Schools, the City of Fredericksburg Government, and the University of Mary Washington as a part of the town’s participation in the Drive Clean Rural USA project.
Notably, last August, the Fredericksburg Police Department premiered three hybrid patrol vehicles into their fleet, with five additional vehicles expected next year.
The previous year, Virginia Clean Cities completed the Police Department’s fleet assessment leading to the city’s first hybrid patrol vehicle purchase.
Ten electric buses through Clean School Bus Program
Earlier this year, Fredericksburg City Public Schools (FCPS) worked with Virginia Clean Cities to obtain its first electric school buses. FCPS got $2.5 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to buy ten electric school buses through the Clean School Bus Program.
This collaboration helps meet the city’s sustainability commitments by cooperating to lower carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency. The city’s continuous partnership with Virginia Clean Cities is helpful in successfully converting to a green fleet.
In addition, California’s climate officials said that the state’s new policy would be the “world’s most ambitious” due to it setting clear benchmarks for ramping up EV sales over the next dozen years. For instance, one-third of new cars sold must be electric by 2026.
Drive Clean Rural USA
Drive Clean Rural USA is a pilot project funded by the US Department of Energy, which supports 24 localities across the nation. Virginia Clean Cities organized the recent workshop as the grant’s sub-recipient and the city’s Environmental Sustainability Program.
