SUSTAINABILITY

PROJECTS, POLICIES, AND GOALS

While Advancing Mobility 2045 includes a number of projects that will improve safety, local jurisdictions are also advancing a variety of safety improvements through their Local Roadways Safety Plans (LRSPs) and other efforts. Every jurisdiction is required to have an LRSP to qualify for federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funding. Project considerations included in Advancing Mobility 2045 that foster improved health and cleaner environment include:

y Supporting complete street efforts y Expanding transit y Building a new transit maintenance facility to include electric charging for clean air transit vehicles y Expanding the electric car charging network y Expanding shared vehicle and bicycle programs y Building out the active transportation network y Supporting ridesharing through V-Commute and

Napa Forward y Investigating new technologies that reduce auto emissions and congestion y Improving highway and road infrastructure to reduce stops and starts These project areas meet the following Advancing Mobility 2045 Plan goals:

y Serve the transportation needs of the entire community regardless of age, income, or physical ability. y Improve system safety in order to support all modes and serve all users y Minimize the energy and other resources required to move people and goods

A TRANSIT RIDER ENJOYS THE BENEFITS OF COMMUTING BY BUS.

NVTA is committed to reducing harmful mobile emissions to improve the environment and create a sustainable future for the Napa Valley community. Electrifying the bus fleet will allow NVTA to reduce its carbon footprint and provide sustainable transportation solutions for years to come.

TRANSPORTATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The combustion of fossil fuels is the source of nearly 97 percent of transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Transportation is the largest end-use sector emitting CO2, and the largest source of GHG emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the transportation sector directly accounts for about 28 percent of total U.S. GHG emissions, making it the leading sector.29 In the San Francisco Bay Area, the transportation sector accounts for 45.5% percent of GHG emissions.30

Burning fossil fuels through combustion engines emits other harmful pollutants into the air, resulting in overall reduced air quality. Harmful emissions can lead to various health issues and other negative environmental impacts. While automobiles have become much cleaner in recent decades, the sheer volume of cars and trucks still significantly contribute to degraded air quality. This is particularly significant in the Napa River Valley portion of the county, as the natural topography can trap air pollutants. Consequently, Napa’s general population has a higher rate of asthma at 26.7 percent, as compared to the statewide average of 14.8 percent.31

Shifting trips to transit, combined with bus electrification has the potential to significantly reduce GHG emissions associated with transportation. If 10 percent of the trips in the top five travel markets served by transit were shifted away from personal vehicles, this could result in a savings of over 10,000 tons of GHG emissions per year, as shown in Table 21.

The State has made nationally recognized strides towards reducing harmful emissions from the transportation sector. NVTA is aggressively transitioning its fleet to zero emission in response to the State’s efforts.

TABLE 21 . POTENTIAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION SAVINGS WITH MODE SHIFT TO TRANSIT

DAILY TRIPS

TRIPS TO AND FROM NAPA COUNTY

VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED AVERAGE TRIP LENGTH POTENTIAL ANNUAL EMISSIONS SAVINGS

479,143 15.76 3,986 tons

TRIPS WITHIN NAPA COUNTY

802,895 4.75 6,907 tons

Note: Estimate of year one savings in CO2 emissions if 10 percent of divertible trips identified from the 2020 Travel Behavior Survey shift to transit and fleet is fully electrified using the SB1 Emissions Calculator. See Technical Appendix C for methodology and calculations.

29 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions 30 Metropolitan Transportation Commission Vital Signs Greenhouse Gas Emissions 31 Napa County Comprehensive Community Health Assessment, https://www.countyofnapa.org/DocumentCenter/View/249/Napa-County-Comprehensive-Community-Health-Assessment-PDF

BUS FLEET ELECTRIFICATION

The Innovative Clean Transit Regulation32 requires California’s public transit agencies to begin transitioning diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquid natural gas public transit fleets to zero emission. As a result, NVTA is working to transition its fleet to all electric vehicles. With fewer than 100 buses in its fleet, NVTA is considered a small transit agency, so the program requires that the transition to a zero emission fleet must begin on January 1, 2026 when 25 percent of new bus purchases must be zero emission buses. The next milestone in the program is that 50 percent of new bus purchases must be zero emission buses, beginning on January 1, 2029.

Certain types of vehicles are exempt from the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation, primarily because no zero emission fuel vehicles are currently available on the market for these types of buses. These include buses that NVTA currently operates and/or may operate in the future, including cutaway buses and over-the-road coaches.

NVTA currently operates 40 standard diesel or CNG vehicles. The count also includes eight Electric-Gasoline hybrid vehicles that were retired early because of design issues that could not be resolved. Heavy-duty vehicles have a 12-year useful life, as defined by the federal government. NVTA replaces its fleet on average between 12 and 16 years, depending on the type of vehicle. Based on that vehicle life, NVTA hopes to secure funding to replace its diesel buses with electric buses, as determined by their scheduled replacement dates (roughly 13-14 year intervals). Electric buses cost roughly 50 percent more than standard diesel vehicles, and while that cost margin continues to narrow, the capital investment in an all-electric fleet, with necessary charging stations, will be substantial. In order to secure the funding needed, NVTA’s strategy is to replace traditional fuel buses with electric buses prior to the mandate, in order to be eligible for grant programs that would otherwise exclude funds for buses being replaced due to the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation.

EXAMPLE OF AN ELECTRIC BUS. NVTA PLANS TO TRANSITION THEIR BUS FLEET TO ZERO EMISSION ELECTRIC BUSES BY 2030.

PROPOSED TRANSITION & REDUCTION OF MOBILE EMISSIONS

NVTA’s objective is to aggressively pursue funding to replace all its vehicles with zero emission vehicles. This not only significantly reduces NVTA’s carbon footprint, but it also makes NVTA eligible for a number of grant programs that the agency would otherwise not be eligible for. Securing adequate grant funds would allow NVTA to reach its goal of having a 100% zero emission fleet by 2030.

The timeline to the right summarizes the existing NVTA fleet and indicates when buses are scheduled to be replaced with a zero emission vehicle, or when buses would require replacement by the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation.

Based on NVTA’s proposed electric fleet replacement schedule, all 40 buses will be replaced with zero emission electric vehicles by 2028, roughly 13 years prior to when the agency is required to do so. An all-electric bus fleet is likely to result in significantly improved fuel efficiency, estimated at roughly two and a half times more efficient33 than an all diesel fleet, that will reduce corresponding emissions by over 50 percent.34

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a comparative fuel efficiency and cost ratio looking at vehicles operating under exact conditions at Foothill Transit. NREL estimates the cost for fuel per mile for battery electric buses is $0.41 per mile and the cost of CNG at $0.50 per mile while the cost of diesel is $1.05 per mile.35 NVTA currently spends approximately $1.3 million annually on diesel and gasoline combined. This would reduce NVTA’s diesel and gasoline (which has an even higher cost per mile) fueling costs by $508,000 per year. Although it will take years

33 Environmental and Energy Study Institute Fact Sheet: Battery Electric

Buses: Benefits Outweigh Costs 34 Union of Concerned Scientists – Electric Vs. Diesel Vs. Natural Gas:

Which Bus is Best for the Climate? 35 NREL – Foothill Transit Battery Electric Bus Demonstration Result

June 2017 * Two BY 2016 40’ El Dorado Diesel Buses are required to be replaced in 2028, the other five require replacement in 2041.

REPLACE (3) BY 2011 28' CHEVY ARBOC GASOLINE BUSES WITH 30' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (3) BY 2012 28' CHEVY ARBOC GASOLINE BUSES WITH 30' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (2) BY 2013 GILLIG/ PHANTOM DIESEL BUSES WITH 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (10) BY 2013 40' EL DORADO DIESEL BUSES WITH 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (4) BY 2009 35' NEW FLYER GASOLINE-ELECTRIC HYBRID BUSES WITH 30' OR 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (4) BY 2010 35' NEW FLYER GASOLINE-ELECTRIC HYBRID BUSES WITH 30' OR 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (5) BY 2013 35' EL DORADO CNG VEHICLES WITH 30' OR 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (7) BY 2016 40' EL DORADO DIESEL BUSES WITH 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

REPLACE (2) BY 2016 35' EL DORADO DIESEL BUSES WITH 30' OR 40' ELECTRIC BUSES

SCHEDULED REPLACEMENT REQUIRED REPLACEMENT

2020

2033

2021

2034

2022

2034

2025

2038

2028

2041*

to offset the capital investment associated with electric bus costs, the extra buses needed to address charging delays, and the charging infrastructure, this initiative shows significant promise in reducing harmful mobile emissions and improving the environment in Napa Valley.

FUEL SUPPLY, BATTERY STORAGE, AND CAPITAL COSTS

A major challenge for new fueling technologies is supply. We take for granted the current supply of gasoline and diesel fuel because stations are abundant in Napa Valley and along SR 29 and I-80 where most of NVTA’s bus service operates. To charge the new electric bus fleet, NVTA’s new maintenance facility will have 50 charging stations to accommodate NVTA’s express bus, regional service, and fixed route fleet. Paratransittype vehicles, known as cutaways, are not currently subject to Innovative Clean Transit Regulation. Nevertheless, the maintenance facility will include idle infrastructure that can accommodate the addition of future charging stations if the regulation is expanded to these types of vehicles or when NVTA increases its fleet. The cost to install each charging station is roughly $100,000.

Replacement batteries is another expense for NVTA to consider. Some manufacturers are guaranteeing that the useful life of the battery is equivalent to the useful life of the bus (approximately 12 years). However, it is more likely that a battery will need to be replaced mid-life, which could cost as much as $150,000.

When fully charged, a typical bus battery can go as far as 350 miles. Another challenge is that it takes six hours, on average, to fully charge an electric bus battery. At any given time, NVTA has four or five buses operating in express bus routes and there is no time in the schedule to allow for recharging. To make a successful transition to battery-operated electric buses, the agency will need almost twice as many buses to run express bus service, in order to allow for adequate time to recharge. One solution to this recharging challenge is to develop a network of inductive (surface) charging stations located at common transportation hubs, such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations or at San Francisco ferry stations, that can be used by NVTA and its connecting transit partners. The cost of each inductive station will differ depending on the location, but on average, each station costs approximately $400,000.

EXAMPLE OF AN INDUCTIVE BUS CHARGING STATION.