JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
As part of the Department of Defense's initiative to reduce fossil fuels use, approximately 35 modified plug-in electric vehicles will arrive at Joint Base Andrews early next year to participate in a one-year, proof-of-concept experiment.
DOD plans to fund similar trials of 500 battery-charged vehicles at six different installations at a cost of $20 million.
Air Force officials selected Joint Bases Andrews and McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., to become the initial federal enclave to replace their entire passenger vehicle fleet with electric models. JBA's battery-charged versions will consist of cargo/utility-type vehicles such as pickup and flatbed trucks, as well as panel vans.
"We are excited to be one of the test bases for the electric vehicles. They have faster acceleration than normal cars, and have a range of about 50 to 60 miles before they have to be charged," said Timothy Stern, Air Force District of Washington Logistics Installations and Mission Support Directorate vehicle operations and management section chief. "The new battery-charged fleet will be primarily driven on the installation. AFDW is committed to reducing energy consumption and to the use of new energy-efficient technologies."
A Presidential Memorandum, signed May 24, 2011, titled Federal Fleet Performance mandated the U.S. government's lease and/or purchase of new light duty vehicles, which utilize alternative fuels such as hybrid or electric, compressed natural gas or biofuel. In the summer of 2012, Headquarters Air Force gauged JBA's interest in the plug-in electric vehicle project and both AFDW and 11th Wing's leadership supported the idea. Dec. 21, 2012, the Air Force awarded a contract for $838,361 to construct and install 35 battery-charging stations split between the 11th Civil Engineer and 11th Logistics Readiness Squadrons' facilities. Both locations should be operational by the end of the calendar year, but the completion date could slip to early 2014.
During the year-long experiment at JBA, battery-charging stations will power the 35 PEVs. Excess energy stored in the vehicle during non-peak hours can be sold back to utility companies for electric grid usage. This two-way transfer of energy is known as vehicle-to-grid. . This will not be done at JBA because the installation would consume any generated power.
"To get this proof-of-concept, we needed to keep the cost below $900,000 to make the goal submitted to us by DOD through Headquarters Air Force. We had to put together an aggressive plan for this PEV project," said Michael Butts, 89th Communications Squadron facility manager, who designed, developed and coordinated the trial project while an 11th CES engineer technician. "The PEV experiment at JBA will pave the way for future, actual application of the V2G process with the federal government's fleet."
Annual cost for employing PEVs has been estimated at 90 percent less than operating conventional, fossil-fuel vehicles. In addition, the V2G process of transferring reserve electricity from the PEV to the grid can be utilized to assist installation energy needs and eliminate potential electricity gaps.
"Team JBA is going to continue reducing its energy use and reliance on fossil fuels. We are determined to do so. That is why we accepted this one-year PEV trial project," said Mushtaq Chaudhry, AFDW Logistics, Installations and Mission Support Directorate engineering branch chief. "All of us will benefit by decreasing our energy footprint and JBA will be a leader within the Air Force and DOD through the PEV and ultimately, the V2G programs."
(Editor's Note: This is the second story in a series of four to be published this month in recognition of Energy Action Month, an annual national campaign led by the Department of Energy.)