(Source: LA Times & Newsroom Finland)

Finnish railway workers say they will halt all passenger and cargo traffic on Monday to protest the state-owned railway company’s personnel policies and layoffs.

Vesa Mauriala, chairman of the union, said he hoped the 24-hour walkout would lead to a debate on the hardening of values in society in general.  According to Mr Mauriala, the two main railway unions have been angered by the state’s ownership policy in the wholly government-owned Finnish Railways (VR).

“The state is simply demanding too much from VR,” Mr Mauriala said.

According to the union VR has previously been an example of good personnel policy and there have been very few layoffs and strikes. However, recently Finnish Railways announced it would make 1,500 employees at VR Cargo temporarily redundant.

VR assured customers on Friday that it would refund all tickets purchased for Monday. The strike is estimated to result in millions of euros in losses.

VR employs about 12,600 workers. Recently, it announced 1,500 job cuts to save costs.

(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, USDOT)

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration has released “A Time Series Analysis of Transportation Energy Use Per Dollar of Gross Domestic Product” (GDP), a report about the decline in transportation energy use relative to GDP.  The statistical analysis shows that transportation energy consumption has been declining relative to GDP since 2000 with a steeper decline beginning in the third quarter of 2007, when the cost of fuel rose dramatically.

Transportation energy use relative to gross domestic product (GDP) has been declining within the past decade. However, the total transportation energy consumed (see figure 1) shows only a more recent decline. To see clearly the long-term decline, the seasonal component first must be separated from the underlying trendline to observe the long-term trend of that energy consumption. Then the ratio of the deseaonalized data and GDP can be taken.

The report is the first in the BTS series titled Transportation Trends in Focus.  The report can be found at http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_transportation_trends_in_focus/2009_06_01/.

(Source:  Government Accountability Office)

Aircraft emit greenhouse gases and other emissions, contributing to increasing concentrations of such gases in the atmosphere. Many scientists and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)–a United Nations organization that assesses scientific, technical, and economic information on climate change–believe these gases may negatively affect the earth’s climate. Given forecasts of growth in aviation emissions, some governments are taking steps to reduce emissions.

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed:

(1) estimates of aviation’s current and future contribution to greenhouse gas and other emissions that may affect climate change;

(2) existing and potential technological and operational improvements that can reduce aircraft emissions; and

(3) policy options for governments to help address commercial aircraft emissions.

GAO conducted a literature review; interviewed representatives of government agencies, industry and environmental organizations, airlines, and manufacturers, and interviewed and surveyed 18 experts in economics and aviation on improvements for reducing emissions from aircraft. GAO is not making recommendations. Relevant agencies provided technical comments which we incorporated as appropriate and EPA said emissions standards can have a positive benefit to cost ratio and be an important part of policy options to control emissions.

According to IPCC, aviation currently accounts for about 2 percent of human-generated global carbon dioxide emissions, the most significant greenhouse gas–and about 3 percent of the potential warming effect of global emissions that can affect the earth’s climate, including carbon dioxide. IPCC’s medium-range estimate forecasts that by 2050 the global aviation industry, including aircraft emissions, will emit about 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and about 5 percent of the potential warming effect of all global human-generated emissions. Gross domestic product growth is the primary driver in IPCC’s forecasts. IPCC also made other assumptions about future aircraft fuel efficiency, improvements in air traffic management, and airport and runway capacity. IPCC’s 2050 forecasts for aviation’s contribution to global emissions assumed that emissions from other sectors will continue to grow.

If other sectors make progress in reducing emissions and aviation emissions continue to grow, aviation’s relative contribution may be greater than IPCC estimated; on the other hand, if other sectors do not make progress, aviation’s relative contribution may be smaller than estimated. While airlines currently rely on a range of improvements, such as fuel-efficient engines, to reduce emissions, some of which may have limited potential to generate future reductions, experts we surveyed expect a number of additional technological, operational, and alternative fuel improvements to help reduce aircraft emissions in the future. However, according to experts we interviewed, some technologies, such as advanced airframes, have potential, but may be years away from being available, and developing and adopting them is likely to be costly.

In addition, according to some experts we interviewed, incentives for industry to research and adopt low-emissions technologies will be dependent to some extent on the level and stability of fuel prices. Finally, given expected growth of commercial aviation as forecasted by IPCC, even if many of these improvements are adopted, it appears unlikely they would greatly reduce emissions by 2050. A number of policy options to address aircraft emissions are available to governments and can be part of broader policies to address emissions from many sources including aircraft. Market-based measures can establish a price for emissions and provide incentives to airlines and consumers to reduce emissions. These measures can be preferable to other options because they would generally be more economically efficient. Such measures include a cap-and-trade program, in which government places a limit on emissions from regulated sources, provides them with allowances for emissions, and establishes a market for them to trade emissions allowances with one another, and a tax on emissions. Governments can establish emissions standards for aircraft or engines. In addition, government could increase government research and development to encourage development of low-emissions improvements.

Click here to download the entire report.

1) Free Wi-Fi Coming to Salt Lake City Airport in July

Link to story in the Deseret News:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705310049/Free-Wi-Fi-coming-to-SL-airport-in-July.html

2) Europe Signs Air Traffic Deals Worth 1.9 Billion Euros

Link to Reuters story:

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLC7397220090612

BICYCLES

3) Better Bike Lane Signage is Low-Cost, High-Impact Solution for Urban Cyclists

Link to story in Fast Company:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/alissa-walker/designerati/better-bikeway-signage-low-cost-high-impact-solution-urban-cyclists

CAMERAS

4) Red Light District for Southernmost City?

Key West, Florida mayor floats cameras as way to raise money.

Link to story in the Key West Keynoter:

http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/110452.html

RAILROADS

5) IBM Opens Railway Innovation Center in China

Link to AFP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g7D95fzJkkINXKa5JTaS_rIv6yHg

Link to news release from IBM:

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/27686.wss#release

6) Lithuanian Railways Completes First GSM-R Call

Link to story on cellular-news:

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/37957.php

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) Ban on Whole Body Imaging Would Hurt TSA, Chief Says

Link to story in Homeland Security Today:

http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/8895/128/

8) Minneapolis/St. Paul, US DOT Test Next-Generation 911 Systems

Link to story in Government Computer News:

http://gcn.com/articles/2009/06/11/minneapolis-dot-test-next-generation-911-systems.aspx

TRANSIT

9) San Francisco Bay Area Universal Transit Card Stalls

Link to article in the Contra Costa Times:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/traffic/ci_12571572

10) New York City Transit Says It Erred in Disbanding Subway Emergency Team

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/nyregion/12emergency.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

11) Air Miles Could be Your Ticket for Edmonton Transit Ride

Link to story in the Edmonton Sun:

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/06/12/9773046-sun.html

12) Metra Rolls Out Its First Train Cars Wrapped in Paid Advertising

Link to story in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-metra-rolling-adsjun11,0,6685116.story

13) AT&T Will Become Fourth Wireless Service in Chicago Subways

Link to story in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cta-11-jun11,0,33216.story

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

14) Traffic Lessons Learned Keep Cars Moving Into Tennessee Concert Site

Link to story and video in the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/12/traffic-lessons-learned-keep-cars-moving-concert-s/

VEHICLES

15) What Service Providers and Auto Makers Can Learn From Each Other

Link to column on TMCnet:

http://asterisk.tmcnet.com/topics/ip-pbx/articles/57898-what-service-providers-auto-makers-learn-from-each.htm

16) Higher Gas Mileage Standards at Expense of Safety Advances

Link to commentary in The Detroit News:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090612/OPINION01/906120337/1008/Higher-gas-mileage-standards-at-expense-of-safety-advances

News Releases

1) Trimble Acquires Accutest for Vehicle Diagnostics and Telematics to Expand its Fleet Management Solutions

Upcoming Events

North American Freight Flows Conference: Understanding Changes and Improving Data Sources – September 16-17 – Irvine, California

http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=9836

Friday Bonus

I guess Angelina Jolie wasn’t available.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-EHqq2i7JakPoNai-odLpVTM2rQD98NSUQ82

Today in Transportation History

1889 **120^th anniversary** – The Armagh rail disaster took place in Ireland.  Seventy-eight people, many children, died.

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Armagh1889.pdf

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: Revenge of the Electric Car & LA Times)

It’s been a long time coming, but we have finally achieved the first “cold ironing” of a tanker in the Port of Long Beach. Cold Ironing is the term for plugging a ship’s electrical system into the on-shore grid to supply power so that the ship’s giant diesel engine can be turned off while it’s docked. Normally, these engines crank out massive amounts of pollution, equal to “a day’s worth of driving by 187,000 cars,” according to estimates by the Port of Long Beach.

Port of Long Beach takes ‘giant step’ toward pollution reduction Port officials unveil what is billed as the world’s first electrical shore-side power system for tankers, which are notorious fuel guzzlers and air polluters.  Docked in Long Beach on Wednesday with a fresh load of oil from Valdez, the Alaskan Navigator didn’t look like much of a trailblazer.

The massive tanker sat silently, with a few thin cables draping down to some gray metal boxes. Missing was the incessant rumble of diesel engines, which on an average cargo ship would be running constantly to keep electrical systems going — burning quite a bit of diesel fuel and generating a significant amount of pollution. But the 941-foot Navigator, anchored at the BP oil terminal’s Pier T on the Long Beach port’s main channel, isn’t average. The vessel, owned by Alaska Tanker Co. of Portland, Ore., was plugged into what is billed as the world’s first shore-side electrical grid.

The project cost $23.7 million and took three years to complete, port officials said. The port contributed about $17.5 million to the project and BP paid the rest.  One project partner noted that the emissions reductions amounted to 50% even when factoring in pollution created by power plants in generating the electricity.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) initiated suits against the ports over seven years ago to make this happen, and it was a long difficult fight, but the NRDC’s attorneys persevered and eventually won. This event marks the first of what we hope will be the electrification of all the tanker and cargo ships while docked in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (and probably worldwide?). For too long, the people living downwind of the ports have suffered the ill effects of this pollution with heart and lung disease, cancers and asthma rates that are significantly higher than average.

(Source: R744.com &1234facts.com)

In the middle of this fiasco, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has raised his voice to warn the German automotive industry against a “highly risky economic and technical adventure” with an untested, flammable, and toxic refrigerant 1234yf. Moreover, manufacturers should not expect the EU R134a phase-out schedule to change, but rather choose CO₂ now as the most energy-efficient and safe alternative available.

In an interview with ACE, a leading automotive club representing the interests of 550.000 Germans, the Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has taken a clear stance in favour of CO₂ in the currently hotly debated question of which refrigerant to choose for future car air conditioning systems:

“Fact is: With CO₂ there is an environmentally friendly alternative to R134a available, and it has been proven in real life,” Gabriel stated. “The VDA has to know what it does to strengthen its credibility or not,” he referred to the clear commitment to CO₂ already issued in 2007 by all carmakers united in Germany’s automotive association VDA. The Environment Ministry would continue to support CO₂ (R744) as not only the most ecological option, but also that with a significantly higher energy efficiency, as measurements by the Federal Environment Agency have proved.

Untested chemical “high adventure”
Gabriel also issued a clear warning to the automotive industry to not use untested alternative refrigerants. The currently discussed flammable and toxic chemical 1234yf would be a completely new substance not yet fully investigated by public authorities for its ecological and health risks. As a consequence, manufacturers deciding for 1234yf would embark on a “high economic and technical adventure”, Gabriel concluded.

The Minister warned the German automotive industry against a further use of R134a in cars after 2011. According to Gabriel, the EU MAC Directive, prescribing the use of refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential of below 150 in future passenger cars, will not be changed. Carmakers should acknowledge that he would hold on to the agreed phase-out schedule starting in 2011, with a gradual ban of R134a until 2017. As a result, from 2011, the deprivation of type approval for cars using the climate-damaging refrigerant would be enforced as originally scheduled.

(Source: Green Car Congress)

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has selected Volvo Technology North America to lead the development and demonstration of an advanced Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (CVII) program. A contract awarding this program to Volvo Technology is being finalized by the state.

The program will demonstrate VII applications for commercial vehicles along key transportation corridors in the greater New York City region. Test corridors, utilizing 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC), include 13 miles of the New York State Thruway Authority’s I-87 Spring Valley Corridor and 42 miles of NYSDOT’s I-495 Long Island Expressway.

VII is an advanced ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) technology using infrastructure similar to that of 915 MHz based systems such as E-Z PASS but with the capability of very high-speed, high-capacity data communication using an on-board communication device that is integrated with the electronic information and control systems of the vehicle.

Visual and audible information is available to the driver from the VII network, and the vehicle can communicate information to the VII roadside infrastructure as well as other vehicles, creating smart vehicles operating along a smart highway and transportation system, NYSDOT notes.

VII development has focused almost exclusively on passenger vehicles. While a number of major light vehicle manufacturers have been directly involved with the VII technology development under the leadership of the USDOT, the commercial vehicle industry has not been sufficiently represented, NYSDOT said. The Volvo-led effort for the state of New York, funded by the I-95 Corridor Coalition in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, is the first VII program exclusively devoted to developing and demonstrating the technology for commercial vehicles.

(Source: Autoblog, Bloomberg & ThisDay)

America might get most of its oil from Canada, but the moves that Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) makes still reverberate here. Thus, a statement by the Kuwaiti Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed al-Abdullah al-Sabah to reporters yesterday probably won’t help decrease domestic gasoline prices any time soon. OPEC’s al-Sabah said that the organization will not consider increasing production until the price of a barrel of oil reaches $100.

Crude oil traded in New York has climbed almost 60 percent this year, after plunging more than $100 in five months at the end of 2008 as the global recession curbed demand for fuel.

Thursday, June 11, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

IBTTA’s 77^th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 13-16, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois is the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals and business partners in the world. Delegates from 25 countries on six continents will meet in Chicago to examine best practices and critical innovations in toll industry finance, marketing, technology and innovation, customer service, sustainability, operations, and related issues. Register by August 14 and receive a $100 discount off your registration fee. This meeting is hosted by the Illinois Tollway and will be held at the Hyatt Regency. For more information on registration, hotel reservations, exhibiting or sponsorship, visit IBTTA’s website at www.ibtta.org. Register online today!

AVIATION

1) Air France CEO ‘Not Convinced’ Sensors Caused Crash

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOegnahAFcEgwJZ4WKGkVz9Dgq5wD98OCJ1G0

2) LAX to Unveil New Warning System on Taxiways, Runway

Link to story in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-runway11-2009jun11,0,2675433.story

3) Clarksville-Montgomery Airport Authority Keeps Public Out

Board claims it has exemption from Tennessee’s open meetings law.
Link to story in The Leaf-Chronicle:

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090611/NEWS01/906110332/Airport+Authority+keeps+public+out

4) Federal Aviation Administration Launches Safety Site

Link to story on Nextgov:

http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/06/faa_launches_safety_site_after.php

Link to site:  http://www.faa.gov/about/safety_efficiency/

CARTOGRAPHY

5) Doubts About GPS as Map Sales Surge

Link to transcript on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s The World Today:

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2595458.htm

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) GPS-Fitted Shoe Helps Track Alzheimer Patient

Link to AFP story:

http://www.physorg.com/news163474344.html#

ROADWAYS

7) MIT Works to Solve Traffic Jam Problem

Mathematicians are working on the development of a new model to explain how and why ‘phantom’ traffic jams form.

Link to story on DailyTech:

http://www.dailytech.com/MIT+Works+to+Solve+Traffic+Jam+Problem/article15380c.htm

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Registered Traveler, Cargo Screening Raise Concerns at TSA Budget Hearing

Link to story from Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security:

http://www.airportbusiness.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=28754

TELEMATICS

9) New Innovations at Telematics Detroit Overshadowed by Auto Industry News

Link to story on 12 Volt News:

http://www.12voltnews.com/?p=5095

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

10) Edmonton Committee Investigates ‘Smart’ Traffic System

Link to story in The Edmonton Sun:

http://www.edmondsun.com/local/local_story_162003843.html

11) Bengaluru Traffic Police Use Technology in the Centralized Traffic Management Center for More Efficient Traffic Management

Link to story on Citizen Matters:

http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/1148-bengaluru-traffic-management-centre

12) Isle of Man Traffic Management Plan Put to Test by Race

Link to story in the Manx Independent:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/TT-traffic-management-plan-is.5356621.jp

13) Smarter Brisbane Transport Plans Urged

Link to story in Cargonews Asia:

http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=3&article=19621

VEHICLES

14) QNX and Pandora Team to Bring Internet Radio to the Car

Link to story and video in Radio World:

http://www.rwonline.com/article/82306

News Releases

1) Com Dev to Offer Space-Based Maritime Automatic Identification System Services Beginning in 2010

2) Volvo Technology Selected to Lead New York CVII Development Program

Upcoming Events

Mobile Strategies for Travel USA – September 16-17 – Chicago

http://events.eyefortravel.com/tdsusa/mobile-travel/

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50^th anniversary** – The Hovercraft, a vehicle which floats on a cushion of air over land and water, was officially launched off the south coast of England.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/11/newsid_4333000/4333329.stm

1959 **50^TH anniversary** – Honda opened it first US dealership.

http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1959establishingamericanhonda/img/american_pho_01.jpg

============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office)

The U.S. transportation sector relies almost exclusively on oil; as a result, it causes about a third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Advanced technology vehicles powered by alternative fuels, such as electricity and ethanol, are one way to reduce oil consumption. The federal government set a goal for federal agencies to use plug-in hybrid electric vehicles–vehicles that run on both gasoline and batteries charged by connecting a plug into an electric power source–as they become available at a reasonable cost. This goal is on top of other requirements agencies must meet for conserving energy.

In response to a request, GAO examined the:

(1) potential benefits of plug-ins,

(2) factors affecting the availability of plug-ins, and

(3) challenges to incorporating plug-ins into the federal fleet. GAO reviewed literature on plug-ins, federal legislation, and agency policies and interviewed federal officials, experts, and industry stakeholders, including auto and battery manufacturers.

Increasing the use of plug-ins could result in environmental and other benefits, but realizing these benefits depends on several factors. Because plug-ins are powered at least in part by electricity, they could significantly reduce oil consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. For plug-ins to realize their full potential, electricity would need to be generated from lower-emission fuels such as nuclear and renewable energy rather than the fossil fuels–coal and natural gas–used most often to generate electricity today. However, new nuclear plants and renewable energy sources can be controversial and expensive. In addition, research suggests that for plug-ins to be cost-effective relative to gasoline vehicles the price of batteries must come down significantly and gasoline prices must be high relative to electricity.

Auto manufacturers plan to introduce a range of plug-in models over the next 6 years, but several factors could delay widespread availability and affect the extent to which consumers are willing to purchase plug-ins. For example, limited battery manufacturing, relatively low gasoline prices, and declining vehicle sales could delay availability and discourage consumers. Other factors may emerge over the longer term if the use of plug-ins increases, including managing the impact on the electrical grid (the network linking the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity) and increasing consumer access to public charging infrastructure needed to charge the vehicles.

The federal government has supported plug-in-related research and initiated new programs to encourage manufacturing. Experts also identified options for providing additional federal support. To incorporate plug-ins into the federal fleet, agencies will face challenges related to cost, availability, planning, and federal requirements. Plug-ins are expected to have high upfront costs when they are first introduced. However, they could become comparable to gasoline vehicles over the life of ownership if certain factors change, such as a decrease in the cost of batteries and an increase in gasoline prices.

Agencies vary in the extent to which they use life-cycle costing when evaluating which vehicle to purchase. Agencies also may find that plug-ins are not available to them, especially when the vehicles are initially introduced because the number available to the government may be limited. In addition, agencies have not made plans to incorporate plug-ins due to uncertainties about vehicle cost, performance, and infrastructure needs.

Finally, agencies must meet a number of requirements covering energy use and vehicle acquisition–such as acquiring alternative fuel vehicles and reducing facility energy and petroleum consumption–but these sometimes conflict with one another. For example, plugging vehicles into federal facilities could reduce petroleum consumption but increase facility energy use. The federal government has not yet provided information to agencies on how to set priorities for these requirements or leverage different types of vehicles to do so. Without such information, agencies face challenges in making decisions about acquiring plug-ins that will meet the requirements, as well as maximize plug-ins’ potential benefits and minimize costs.

The recommendations are listed below:

• To enable agencies to more effectively meet congressional requirements, the Secretary of Energy should, in consultation with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and organizations representing federal fleet customers such as Interagency Committee for Alternative Fuels and Low-Emission Vehicles (INTERFUEL), Federal Fleet Policy Council (FEDFLEET), and the Motor Vehicle Executive Council, propose legislative changes that would resolve the conflicts and set priorities for the multiple requirements and goals with respect to reducing petroleum consumption, reducing emissions, managing costs, and acquiring advanced technology vehicles.
• The Secretary of Energy should begin to develop guidance for when agencies consider acquiring plug-in vehicles, as well as guidance specifying the elements that agencies should include in their plans for acquiring the mix of vehicles that will best enable them to meet their requirements and goals. Such guidance might include assessing the need for installing charging infrastructure and identifying areas where improvements may be necessary, mapping current driving patterns, and determining the energy sources used to generate electricity in an area.
• The Secretary of Energy should continue ongoing efforts to develop guidance for agencies on how electricity used to charge plug-ins should be measured and accounted for in meeting energy-reduction goals related to federal facilities and alternative fuel consumption. In doing so, the Secretary should determine whether changes to existing legislation will be needed to ensure there is no conflict between using electricity to charge vehicles and requirements to reduce the energy intensity of federal facilities, and advise Congress accordingly.
• The Administrator of GSA should consider providing information to agencies regarding total cost of ownership or life-cycle cost for vehicles in the same class. For plug-in vehicles that are newly offered, the Administrator should provide guidance for how agencies should address uncertainties about the vehicles’ future performance in estimating the life-cycle costs of plug-ins, so agencies can make better-informed, consistent, and cost-effective decisions in acquiring vehicles.
• Once plug-in hybrids and all-electrics become available to the federal government but are still in the early phases of commercialization, the Administrator of GSA should explore the possibility of arranging pass-through leases of plug-in vehicles directly from vehicle manufacturers or dealers–as is being done with DOD’s acquisition of neighborhood electric vehicles–if doing so proves to be a cost-effective means of reducing some of the risk agencies face associated with acquiring new technology.

Click here to read or download the entire report.