City council takes first step in making Richmond’s 400-vehicle fleet emission-free

Richmond City Council has awarded a contract of up to $250,000 to a British consulting firm to help the city make its vehicle fleet emission-free.

 The contract, passed unanimously on Oct. 22, entrusts Arup US Inc. with formulating a “Zero Emission Vehicle Fleet and Infrastructure Transition Plan” to replace approximately 400 city vehicles with vehicles that do not burn fossil fuel. 

To support a clean energy fleet, the plan also will include estimates on installing infrastructure such as charging stations and hydrogen refueling equipment, and renovating Richmond’s electricity system.

The plan endeavors to align Richmond with the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Cars Program, which mandates that all new passenger cars, trucks and SUVs sold in California must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. That category includes battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

In addition, the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets program requires California’s truck and bus fleets to become fully emission-free by 2045. CARB says cleaner vehicles can help the state meet its air quality and climate change goals, since gas-powered vehicles contribute approximately 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in California.

“There is a strong understanding among the community that we need to move away from fossil fuels,” Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin said. “People understand that the climate crisis requires us to move quickly toward a sustainable planet, and getting our fleet up to speed in terms of clean vehicles is part of this journey toward sustainability.” 

Who is Arup?

Richmond’s fleet comprises sedans, pick-up trucks, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, off-road equipment and emergency response vehicles, including fire trucks. Among them, there currently are only five electric vehicles and 79 hybrid vehicles — less than a quarter of the fleet. 

The Public Works Department mainly will be responsible for carrying out the transition plan. Mike Owyang, assistant engineer in the department, said the city should have the contract with Arup signed by the end of November, and the design process should start in a month or two.

Owyang said Arup will help Richmond find comparable vehicles for fleet replacement, and that the city might not replace a vehicle if no comparable clean energy substitute is found. Finding substitutes for fire engines and heavy-load trucks may be more difficult than finding clean-energy passenger cars, he said.

The contract calls for Arup to present a detailed plan that includes the timeline, scale and cost of the transition.

In October 2023, the city requested proposals for the transition plan and received six. The staff ranked Arup first through interviews and evaluations. 

Founded in the U.K. in 1946, Arup does engineering, architecture and sustainable development consulting around the world. Its projects include Apple’s new Cupertino headquarters, the National Stadium “Bird’s Nest” in Beijing, Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, and the Sydney Opera House.

In its Richmond proposal, Arup says it has provided fleet transition plans for San Diego County, Montgomery County, Maryland, and the cities of San Francisco and Long Beach.

Arup said it would take six months to formulate the transition plan for Richmond’s review, at an estimated cost of $213,100. 

Significant cost

The company will conduct an analysis of Richmond’s fleet and infrastructure capacities, evaluate the needs and potential costs, and come up with financing strategies to support the transition.

Richmond’s Environmental and Community Investment Agreement Transportation Oversight Committee voted in favor of the proposal in September. The committee manages the $90 million fund Chevron granted Richmond for community and environment development programs in 2014. That fund will cover the Arup contract. Arup noted in its proposal that “the costs of transitioning to a fully ZEV fleet will be significant.”

The money for the transition could come from the $550 million Chevron has pledged to the city, with installments beginning next year and continuing for a decade, said McLaughlin, who will be leaving the council after wrapping up her term this year. 

“That will be up to a future council to determine,” she said. 

(Top photo by Bryan Wen)

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