The Electric Transportation Department at Southern California Edison assists our Transportation Services Department in ensuring the optimal performance of the nation’s largest and most successful fleet of pure battery-electric vehicles.
Comprised predominantly of Toyota RAV-4 EVs, SCE’s fleet of almost 300 electric vehicles – currently used for meter readers, field representatives and security patrollers, among others – travels over 100,000 electric vehicle miles monthly.
SCE’s long-term use of electric vehicles also enables us to continue meeting the requirements of the national Energy Policy Act (EPAct), which is designed to help reduce dependence on foreign oil and enhance energy security.
Under EPAct, alternative-fuel providers (like electric utilities), along with certain federal and state fleets in major metropolitan areas, must ensure that 90% of their annual new light-duty vehicle purchases be alternative-fueled.
Hybrid Vehicles
As part of cutting-edge work to evaluate additional electric-drive technologies for SCE fleet use, our EV Technical Center currently is testing and evaluating next-generation plug-in and non-plug-in hybrid trucks and vans through collaborative industry partnerships. Such technologies also may play an important role in future compliance with federal and state regulations.
Plug-in hybrid technology specifically shows considerable promise. It offers a natural progression from gasoline-dominant hybrids, with just a larger energy storage battery and plug-in capacity. This allows the vehicles to partially “fuel” through a connection to the electric grid and operate in either a pure electric mode or a “blended” mode, with the potential to dramatically improve fuel economy.
Hybrid projects at the EV Technical Center include:
- Plug-In Hybrid Van: SCE is continuing to work on the evaluation of Daimler AG plug-in hybrid Sprinter Vans, the nation’s first plug-in hybrid commercial van prototypes, in partnership with the automaker, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), South Coast Air Quality Management District and other industry organizations.
- Medium-Duty Plug-In Hybrid Utility Truck: SCE is working with Eaton, EPRI and other public and private organizations to develop a plug-in hybrid platform, based on the Ford F550 truck, suitable for widespread use in service vehicles.
- Hybrid Utility Truck: SCE is field-testing a diesel hybrid-electric utility truck, one of just two dozen being placed in utility fleets across the United States and Canada in partnership with Eaton and International. WestStart-CALSTART manages this demonstration project.
The EV Technical Center already played a significant role in demonstrating the benefits of “hybridizing” trucks through its field test of a utility work truck converted to operate on plug-in hybrid technology in a first-of-its-kind project. This project was conducted with the help of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
With these types of electric-drive evaluations, the Center conducts battery and reliability testing, along with performance characterization. Then the Center works in partnership with SCE’s Transportation Services Department to place the vehicles into appropriate fleet applications and collect data on fuel economy, electric energy use and other operational factors.
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
SCE also is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national hydrogen fuel cell demonstration program, designed to provide a valuable understanding of hydrogen’s potential for future clean transportation needs and use in real-world applications.
In 2007, SCE and Chevron Technology Ventures LLC dedicated a comprehensive hydrogen energy station evaluation and demonstration program at our headquarters.
The refueling station generates hydrogen through an “electrolyzer” by passing electricity from the grid through water to split the hydrogen from oxygen, with only water and vapor as byproducts. This process generates enough hydrogen to power a small test fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Even though hydrogen, by its nature, is very safe (because its lightness causes it to quickly disperse straight up), the station was built to meet or exceed all safety requirements. As with other facilities, safety remains No. 1 in our design criteria.
Besides providing vital insight into FCEV performance, participation in the national evaluation program will help SCE obtain knowledge about hydrogen fuel cell applications for distributed generation, including on-site generation, emergency backup power and more.
For questions or more information, e-mail evtc@sce.com.
Electricity…Sustaining Our Transportation Future.