Abstract
Southern California-Edison (SCE) currently operates the largest fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in North America. SCE’s EV experiences began in 1987 with prototype and electric conversions, such as the Conceptor G-Van, the Pentastar TEVan, and U.S.E. Sedan. Between 1994 and 1997, after the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, SCE began using early OEM EVs, such as the Ford Ecostar and Chrysler TEVan, as well as early Toyota RAV4 EVs. The current fleet consists of 295 battery electric vehicles, primarily Toyota RAV4 EVs used by meter readers, with an additional 33 Ford Th!nk and GEM neighborhood electric vehicles used at company field offices for security patrols. The EV fleet has accumulated approximately 15 million zero-tailpipe-emission miles. In addition, the EV Technical Center (EVTC) in Pomona is constantly testing a variety of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles for potential use in Southern California-Edison’s fleet.This paper chronicles EV fleet operational experiences by Southern California-Edison and insights into lessons learned from dealing with deployment obstacles. Much of the information focuses on the Toyota RAV4 EV due to the relatively large number of these vehicles in the fleet.
Highlights
Southern California-Edison (SCE) is committed to the deployment of cost-effective and energy efficient electro-drive transportation technologies to meet EPAct requirements
This paper chronicles electric vehicles (EVs) fleet operational experiences by Southern California-Edison and insights into lessons learned from dealing with deployment obstacles
Much of the information focuses on the Toyota RAV4 EV due to the relatively large number of these vehicles in the fleet
Summary
Southern California-Edison (SCE) is committed to the deployment of cost-effective and energy efficient electro-drive transportation technologies to meet EPAct requirements. SCE’s fleet of approximately 2,400 light-duty vehicles, includes 260 Toyota RAV4 EVs, and approximately 40 neighborhood electric vehicles (e.g., GEMs and Th!nks), that operate at more than 40 different field locations throughout SCE’s 50,000 square-mile service territory. The EV fleet currently averages about 110,000 miles per month. There are presently no major automakers manufacturing on-road EVs. Since 2003, SCE’s Electric Transportation (ET) and Transportation Services Departments (TSD) acquired additional Toyota RAV4 EVs that other fleet operators returned to Toyota as leases ended. SCE operates a state-of-the-art, ISO 9001:2000 registered, EV Technical Center (EVTC) in Pomona, California, that performs testing and evaluation of all electro-drive transportation technologies.
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