City of Cincinnati Turns Sustainable Fleet Plan into On-Road Reality

Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO), headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has served as the go-to resource for assistance with implementing alternative transportation technologies in the region for 15 years. Dedicated to promoting the use of cleaner, domestic fuels and efficient vehicles, CFO has been working with the City of Cincinnati—one of its top stakeholders—on various projects since 2009. CFO offers consulting services designed to help assess and recommend strategies for deploying alternative fuel technologies. By considering operational requirements, fuel costs, and return on investment, CFO works with fleets like the City of Cincinnati's to find the alternative fuel that best meets fleet needs while minimizing fuel costs.

"When we wanted to better understand all of the opportunities, we hired Clean Fuels Ohio to analyze our fleet--what we had, how we used it, how we fueled it—and to evaluate what options could lead us to a more sustainable fleet configuration," said Larry Falkin, director of Cincinnati's Office of Environment and Sustainability. "Clean Fuels Ohio is not only a source of expertise in alternative fuel vehicles, but has also been a conduit for grant funding, which has really helped the transition to alternative fuel vehicles make economic sense for us."

As part of their consultation, CFO performed a high-level fleet options assessment and feasibility study for all city vehicles. The coalition also created a detailed fleet replacement plan for the city, highlighting the cost savings and environmental benefits achievable through alternative fuel vehicles, efficiency technologies, and fleet management best practices.

To turn the plan into an on-road reality, CFO assisted the city in applying for several grants, which resulted in $1,134,465 to support the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and fueling stations. Thanks in part to its partnership with CFO, the City of Cincinnati was able to deploy 32 propane vehicles and 12 hybrid electric vehicles, in addition to building 2 propane fueling stations.

"We're thrilled we could support the City of Cincinnati and we look forward to continuing this partnership to further the fleet's goals for years to come," said Sam Spofforth, CFO executive director. "With meaningful partnerships and strategic planning, we believe nearly every fleet can identify opportunities to improve overall cost-effectiveness and environmental performance."