CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, ELECTRIC VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. FINAL REPORT

On January 10, 1980, the City Council awarded a bid to Jet Industries of Austin, Texas, for fifteen electric vehicles, i.e., nine vans, four sedans, two pickups. In August, 1980, seven vehicles were placed in operation; five vehicles in September; one in October; and two in January, 1981. The vehicles were asigned to eight different city departments and have been operated and maintained for a four year period. Data, which consisted of information on daily operations, maintenance, and battery replacements, were collected on each vehicle throughout the project period. The Vehicle and Equipment Services (VES) Department analyzed the data and concluded that electric vehicles can be used for some city services; however, the cost per mile to operate and the incidence of downtime was considerably higher compared to similar gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. The high cost to operate the electric vehicles is attributed to several factors; the low usage of the vehicles, the high degree of maintenance, frequent battery replacements, and poor performance. Use of the fleet was minimal, averaging only 6654 miles per unit for the entire project period. The highest mileage recorded on any one vehicle was 13,509 miles and the lowest mileage recorded was 1337 miles. (ERA citation 10:004872)

• Corporate Authors:

  Austin Urban Transportation Department

  Austin, TX  United States 
• Authors:
  • Brecher, A
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Pagination: 5 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: City government; Demonstration projects; Electric vehicles; Maintenance management; Motor vehicles; Operating costs; Vehicle miles of travel; Vehicle performance
• Uncontrolled Terms: Maintenance costs
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00396745
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOE/NV/10029-1
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1986 12:00AM