DGS Employee Rebecca Kirk plugs in a new state electric vehicle at a public state garage in downtown Sacramento.Photo courtesy of California DGS.
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Department of General Services (DGS) announced Dec 20 the delivery of 10 new Nissan Leaf zero-emission vehicles, which will replace 10 existing vehicles in the DGS daily rental fleet. DGS also debuted 24 electric vehicle charging stations now available at five locations in the Sacramento area, with plans to add nine additional stations in the DGS State Garages in the near future. Four of these locations have a total of 19 charging stations accessible to the public.
“Along with reducing the size of the state fleet, the Administration remains committed to clean, green efforts,” said State and Consumer Services Secretary Anna Caballero. “This is just our first step toward achieving a more sustainable state government fleet envisioned by Governor Brown earlier this year.”
“The electric vehicle charging stations and zero-emission vehicles demonstrate DGS’ commitment to combat climate change with a more sustainable state government fleet,” said DGS Director Fred Klass.
In March, Gov. Brown directed state agencies to facilitate the rapid commercialization of zero-emission vehicles, and ordered California’s state government vehicle fleet to increase its zero-emission vehicles through the normal course of vehicle replacement. The Governor’s goal is to have at least 10% of light-duty vehicle fleet purchases be zero-emission by 2015 and at least 25% by 2020.
California DGS showed off its new Nissan Leaf vehicles on Dec. 20.Photo courtesy of California DGS.
The purchase, installation, and technical support of the charging stations were supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission. DGS’s goal is to establish infrastructure for additional zero-emission vehicles expected statewide, and expand efforts to green the state fleet.
Zero-emission vehicles lower California’s dependence on petroleum fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and have lower fuel and maintenance costs over the vehicles' lifetimes. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the 2012 Nissan Leaf produces 0.0 tons of CO2 per year, while a light-duty sedan may produce between 6.5 to 6.7 tons of CO2 per year.
DGS continues to lead efforts to green the state’s fleet on several fronts, including the recent announcement that state departments cut 7,112 vehicles from the state’s fleet. DGS has also instructed State agencies to increase the use of alternative fuels, utilize re-built automotive parts and recycled oil, and ensure that future light-duty state passenger vehicles feature 'cool paints' on their exteriors.
