Leading the Way in Fuel Efficiency
Our City is committed to the reduction of transportation related emissions. Burning a gallon of regular gasoline emits about 19.64 lbs. of CO2. Every gallon saved creates a positive impact on the environment. The City of Fort Lauderdale has efforts in place to meet our goal of reducing transportation related fuel consumption by 20% by the year 2020.
The City of Fort Lauderdale is working to reduce fossil fuel use in vehicles by implementing anti-idling measures, right-sizing the city fleet, and using a lifecycle analysis to support the purchase of more than 30% Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEV) in the fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The City is also undergoing research to determine the best future fuel mix for the fleet.
The City of Fort Lauderdale is working with our staff and vendors to minimize drive-time idling, for example by requesting waste contractors to upgrade vehicles or by re-routing Parking Enforcement officers. Idling while parked in waiting is voluntary idling and it definitely can be reduced or eliminated. The City has a strict idling policy in place. We train our employees, monitor their adherence to the policy and will track idle time until it is as close to zero as possible. This is something that any business can do. Our Fleet services began by installing fuel management systems into each vehicle's computer. We then established an idling baseline by department, vehicle type, size and task. We record, measure and compare each vehicle's data to identify potential areas for improvement. Then we meet with supervisors and staff to discuss why idling is occurring and to develop workarounds.
The City strives to purchase the most fuel efficient vehicle for the task to which it is assigned. When a vehicle is due for replacement we compare all available vehicles within each class and take into consideration the capital cost as well as the fuel operating cost. Each year, more vehicles are being switched to all-electric or hybrid vehicles, others are being switched to clean diesel. For example, the percentage of vehicles that were replaced with low-emission vehicles in the year 2013 was less than 2 percent and in 2014 it was up to 35 percent! In some cases, we are giving up cars entirely. Transport by bicycle is also encouraged for City employees, for example, with our Department of Sustainable Development making bicycles available for their personnel.
We also monitor the overall size and composition of our fleet, consistently looking for ways to conserve. Each year, the City evaluates the need for each vehicle in the fleet by performing a projected fuel consumption analysis where we compare the existing unit against the proposed replacement vehicle. Vehicles that meet the criteria of underutilization are either used for our fleet sharing program, repurposed to replace an older less efficient vehicle, or are sold at auction. A fleet sharing program may be a solution for any commercial business looking for a way to manage their motor pool more efficiently. It provides you with total control of your daily operations and reporting, and keeps your drivers moving with the convenience of self-service reservations and access to reserved shared vehicles. Our Fleet Services personnel (http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/public_services/fleet/office.htm) would be happy to share tips with yours!