FPG READY TO ELECTRIFY YOUR FLEET

FLEET ELECTRIC VEHICLES SOLUTIONS (FEVS)

Ready to electrify your fleet? For New Jersey commercial fleets seeking to meet the State’s clean energy goals while reducing transportation costs, now is the time to consider electrifying! FPG’s team of EV industry experts are available to help you plan and manage all aspects of your electrification project from start to finish including vehicle selection, charging infrastructure, grid integration and energy management. FPG will create a customized Fleet Power Solution based on your fleet’s particular needs. Contact us to electrify your fleet today!
GET YOUR FLEET ELECTRIC TODAY!

READY TO ELECTRIFY?

With automotive technology making great strides in the past five years, the opportunity for organizations, particularly those with large fleets, to take advantage of this innovation is huge. When it comes to electric vehicles, a number of companies have successfully integrated these into their day-today operations, seeing strong commercial and environmental benefit. If you’re considering investing in electrifying your fleet, and need to understand how this will impact your budget and operations, First Priority Group is now offering customers its FLEET EV SOLUTIONS (FEVS) – a suite of products and services designed to assist in the design, planning and implementation of an electric vehicle fleet conversion project.

WHO WE ARE

First Priority Group (FPG) is one of the country’s leading suppliers of public safety, emergency response and clean transportation solutions. Established 21 years ago, the company is well diversified across geography, sector and product lines. Its alternative energy division was established in 2015 to meet the market demand for clean transportation solutions and assist both government agencies and private transportation enterprises in significantly reducing their environmental footprint and effecting a more sustainable future. The company has designed electric vehicle solutions for multiple clients including over 50 school districts in California and New York; V2G demonstration projects with Con Edison of New York and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E); and battery storage projects for the University of California, Pacific Gas and Electric, and SDG&E. FPG’s clean transportation client group includes the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency, the New York Power Authority, the Department of Defense, San Diego Gas and Electric, Pacific Gas and Electric, ConEdison of New York, National Express, University of California, UPS, Frito Lay, FedEx, the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission and Air Quality Management Districts in northern, central and southern California.

WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER ELECTRIFYING YOUR FLEET

For communities, businesses and other organizations seeking to meet strategic clean energy goals and reducing transportation costs, electrifying your fleet is a critical step. Adopting EVs for business use is becoming easier and more cost-effective, and provides the following benefits:
▪ Reduce greenhouse gas emissions – improve public and employee health
▪ Reduce maintenance costs by 30% to 40%
▪ Pay the equivalent of less than $1 per gallon of gas
▪ Show public commitment to “green” business practices and innovation
▪ Take advantage of private and public grants and state/federal incentives to lower the investment costs of EVs and charging equipment

In addition, there are a number of governmental policy considerations. For example, in January of this year, Governor Murphy unveiled New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan, which outlines key strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% and achieve 100% clean energy by 2050. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in partnership with other state agencies, is developing a statewide clean energy plan and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program is offering financial incentives, programs and services for  New Jersey business owners to invest in fleet electrification and help them save energy, money and the environment. Massive investments are being made on the federal and state levels. Nearly $2 billion is being made available for electric vehicles and infrastructure through the Volkswagen emission settlement investment called Electrify America, and another $1 billion is being invested by electric companies in customer programs related to transportation.

 

ELECTRIC VEHICLE FLEET BENEFITS:

Calculating the costs to repower fleet vehicles involves considerations around energy savings and capital/ operating budgets. While the upfront investment in vehicles and infrastructure is higher than for standard gas vehicles, the return over the long term is substantial and more than makes up for the higher purchase price. According to Consumer Reports’ analysis of electric vehicle ownership, owning an EV will save the typical driver $6,000 to $10,000 over the life of the vehicle compared to owning a comparable gas-powered vehicle.3 Savings occur primarily from lower fuel costs and reduced maintenance and repair. For medium duty vehicles, such as delivery vans, the savings are doubled. A cost/benefits analysis and funding strategy are part of the FPG’s EVFPS project deliverables.

 

Whether you are operating a fleet of buses, cars or delivery vans, it is necessary to determine how the overall fleet solution will be designed and integrated into your normal fleet operations. Utility, usage, geography, distance are all important considerations when developing your EV Fleet Power Solution. For example:

▪ How many vehicles do you want to repower to electric or purchase?

▪ How long will they operate each day and at what distances?

▪ Are the routes standard or varied?

▪ Where are the vehicles garaged?

▪ What time of the day do they operate?

▪ How is usage monitored and tracked?

There are many light duty EVs to choose from as well as an increasing number of electric vans, medium-duty trucks and over-the-road trucks. Along with these options, a growing variety of heavy-duty transit vehicles are giving fleets more flexibility to better match vehicles with their transportation operations. Electrification of fleets make sense when accompanied by a large enough set of routes between 40 and 100 daily miles in order to generate sufficient fuel savings and accommodate downtime associated with charging. Delivery vans and small trucks, especially in urban areas, often take many shorter routes to and from a central hub. The vehicles can be charged predictably, and stop-and-go traffic can increase efficiencies through the use of regenerative braking. A fleet of transit or school buses with dozens of stops and predictable routes is an excellent opportunity for fleet electrification.

Once you’ve determined the power demands of your fleet configuration, the next step is to design and implement the charging infrastructure. Implementing an optimized charging infrastructure will require thorough planning and coordination. With the availability and operational need of fleet vehicles of different sizes, power needs and charging options (e.g. DC vs. AC), fleets may require a mix of station types. Most fleet charging solutions will utilize Level 2 chargers which require 208/240 volt service, service panel upgrades and new breakers/outlets. Level 2 chargers can typically provide 30 to 80 miles of range for every hour of charging. Level 3 or DC fast chargers are commonly used for public charging and require 480 volt service. DC fast charging can provide up to 40 miles of range for every 10 minutes of charging. Hardware is only part of the equation. Electrification is as much a digital as it is an analog infrastructure commitment so software integration is another key aspect of the implementation. This is why it is imperative to choose smart, networked charging hardware that can be managed with software. To be intelligent, the charging network and charging software must be integrated with other fleet management systems including routing, electric meters, fuel cards, etc., as well as external services, such as weather or traffic management, to create a complete, correlated picture of the entire fleet charging context to achieve optimum efficiency for your transportation ecosystem.

One of the most important infrastructure considerations is the cost of electric power and how to avoid charging during peak times or create an artificial peak by charging numerous vehicles at their maximum rate simultaneously, also known as “stacking” the load. Controlling the load and avoiding a peak or stacked power situation by creating a rotation for charging or sharing power among multiple vehicles should be an important part of any fleet’s energy demand management strategy. EV charging solutions should utilize off-peak timing and/or load sharing strategies to maximize their power use and more efficiently and cost effectively charge vehicles. Battery storage is a technology that enables power system operators and utilities to store energy for later use. A battery energy storage system (BESS) is a device that charges (or collects energy) from the grid or a power plant or solar panels and then discharges that energy at a later time to provide electricity or other grid services when needed. Battery storage is one of several technology options that can enhance power system flexibility and enable high levels of renewable energy integration. BESS’s are typically included in microgrid configurations. Microgrids are local energy grids with control capability that can connect or disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously – in a grid connected or island mode.

Vehicle to Grid (V2G) describes a system in which electric vehicles communicate with the power grid. Unidirectional V2G, known as “smart charging” or V1G, involves varying the time or rate at which an electric vehicle is charged in order to provide ancillary services to the grid and includes such applications as varying the charge rate of electric vehicles to provide frequency response services or load balancing services, while V2G typically includes reverse power flow. Since at any given time 80 percent of cars are parked, the batteries in electric vehicles could be used to let electricity flow from the car to the electric distribution network and back. Research on potential earnings associated with V2G found that with proper regulatory support, medium duty electric vehicle owners could earn several thousand dollars a year per vehicle.

Using vehicle telematics and onboard datahubs, FPG employs intelligence and data gathering methodologies to assess and report on fleet performance. Data fields include, among others, state of charge (SOC); battery health; energy usage (driving, idling, in/out of services); average speed, distance and GPS location; charging session output and regeneration rates; and CO2, NOx and particles emissions This intelligence enables fleet owners to assess and diagnose fleet performance, optimize vehicle usage and support ROI using real-world data from the fleet’s own operations.

FPG is prepared to design, plan and coordinate all aspects of your Fleet EV Solution. FPG has created a consortium of leading EV consultants, OEMs, and providers that will be brought to bear to ensure that your EVFPS meets your transportation and operational requirements. FPG will manage the entire project from start to finish. FPG’s Project Management services include: proposals and responses to RFPs; applications to federal/state funding sources; grant applications; subcontracting with vendor partners; design and management of an implementation plan; all financial transactions including POs, invoices, and payments; regulatory issues; customer outreach and community engagement; and ongoing monitoring and reporting on project milestones.

WHAT IT TAKES TO MANAGE AN EV FLEET

Fleet owners will need to make decisions around each of the following dimensions:

FEVS GRAPH

FPG’s team of EV industry experts are available to discuss each of these aspects, design an implementation plan, and manage your fleet electrification project from start to finish. Fleets at all stages of electrification can take advantage of FPG’s unique approach to Fleet Power Solutions. Mission critical operations require more than just vehicles and chargers. They require a holistic approach to energy management. FPG is prepared to create customized plans based on your fleet’s individual needs and fleet ecosystem.

Ready to electrify your fleet? For New Jersey commercial fleets seeking to meet the State’s clean energy goals while reducing transportation costs, now is the time to consider electrifying!

Get Started Today!
Contact Us!

Electrify Your Fleet Today!

 
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First Priority Group • 2444 Ridgeway Blvd. • Manchester NJ 08759 

Phone: 732-657-1104

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