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Energetics Incorporated conducted a study to evaluate the operational, economic, and environmental impacts of advanced technologies to reduce idling in the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 4 fleet without compromising functionality. The fleet was already actively addressing fleet efficiency and reducing petroleum consumption by using more efficient light-emitting diode hazard warning signs and encouraging personnel to turn off vehicles when not in use. However, with a fleet of 328 on-road vehicles and a duty to serve the more than one million customers in seven western New York counties, NYSDOT Region 4 wanted to ensure they were reducing idling at every opportunity. On-board data collection gathered details on the route, engine, vehicle and driver operational characteristics from ¾-ton pickups, 6-passenger pickups, stake rack trucks, and small dump trucks.

The emergence of electric vehicle (EV) delivery trucks is resulting in health and environmental benefits, less noise, reduction of foreign energy dependency, and economic development opportunities. Green Loading Zones (GLZs) are dedicated curbside spaces for commercial delivery EVs meant to incentivize and accelerate market adoption. This study examined the impact and potential benefits of this strategy for New York City. Discussions with fleets revealed that while they are realizing operational savings and other benefits from the use of EVs, their incremental costs over diesel vehicles can take a very long time to recover, even with existing subsidy programs. Complementary incentives like GLZs can provide further justification for the investment in cleaner technology. Most fleets interviewed would place a high monetary value on guaranteed delivery locations and reduced parking violation expenses.

As commercial fleets adopt more electrically-powered hardware, including vehicles and transportation equipment, new demands are being placed on the existing electrical infrastructure. Demand management is critical as facilities reach their electrical capacity through growing electric energy demands or come under electricity use restrictions through banding and time-of-day use agreements (which incentivize reduced demand on electrical resources). Most current demand management systems focus on reactive actions such as denying availability (e.g. rolling brown out) during peaking events. In many situations, this denial of service may be highly undesirable, as is the case with electric-powered transport refrigeration units (eTRUs), which must maintain a narrow temperature band to protect perishable products.

Despite stricter anti-idling regulations issued by government entities, trailer refrigeration units (TRUs) have traditionally been exempt from these rules. However, diesel-operated TRUs are high emitters of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide at rest areas, truck stops, and loading docks and are becoming the focus of recent regulatory activity. Since these units must operate to keep perishable goods at the proper storage temperatures during transport, regulating the emissions from conventional TRUs without a proven alternative to the diesel engine-driven system is not feasible. The objective of this multi-phase project is to advance the electrical displacement of petroleum fuels currently utilized by the refrigeration transport industry while trailers are stationary at distribution warehouses.