Since 1993, a U.S. Department of Energy initiative has been promoting market growth for clean transportation technologies. The Clean Cities Coalition Network is made up of 75 organizations working across the country to match trucking fleets, railroad and marine vessel operators, and fueling station owners with fuel, vehicle, and technology vendors. This network offers coaching and technical assistance to help vehicle operators and fuel providers plan for and access funding to lower the out-of-pocket cost of new technologies, driving economies of scale—making new clean transport tech affordable sooner.
This summer, Michigan’s partner organization in this network, Michigan Clean Cities, joined the NextEnergy family as an affiliated organization. Our work to cut transportation emissions aligns with NextEnergy’s broader suite of advanced energy solution support—creating an opportunity to do more, better, together. Our shared work is critical to fight climate change and address the public health impact of transportation emissions by increasing the use of domestically produced, renewable transportation fuels and developing a diverse fuel supply necessary to insulate from fuel supply and price shocks. Compared to other industrial sectors, transportation contributes the highest percentage of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it’s the highest contributor to climate change pollution in the U.S.
Since 2009, the Michigan Clean Cities network has reduced 8.6 million gallons of petroleum fuel usage, equating to 77,000 tons of GHGs avoided. Our aim is to support the replacement of pre-emissions standard powertrains with low and zero emission transportation technologies. Our current goal is for 15 percent year-over-year increase in use of these new technologies, with a target of 20 percent year-over-year GHG emissions reduction.
You’re a part of this work that gets Michigan to carbon neutrality by 2050, as laid out in the MI Healthy Climate Plan. So, what can Michigan Clean Cities do for you?
- Help fleet managers review different scenarios for powertrains that can do the work their vehicles need to do–whether operations are on road, off road, rail, marine, or air
- Help organizations find funding sources to lower the out-of-pocket cost for these solutions
- Help raise awareness and interest among all customer segments for low- and zero-emissions powertrains and fuels
- Help communities understand, plan, and implement electric vehicle charging infrastructure
- Help economic developers understand, plan, and implement commercial vehicle fueling for low- and zero-emission fuels like electric, hydrogen, renewable diesel, autogas, and renewable natural gas
Check out some of Michigan Clean Cities past and current efforts:
- Michigan to Montana Alternative Fuel Corridor
- Securing alt fuel and EV corridor designation for Michigan’s highways (with MDOT)
- EMPOWER Workplace EV charging project (launching fall 2022)
- Affordable Mobility Platform – EV car sharing with affordable housing communities (launching in late 2022)
- Plug-in Ready Michigan Plan (2012) (request a copy from us at no cost)
National information is available at www.cleancities.energy.gov
Join us to fuel a brighter tomorrow, today. You can reach us at contact@michigancleancities.org or 313-833-0100 ext. 140
Great to see this collaboration to advance clean energy initiatives!