Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

State Government & Tribal Relations Committee

HB 1832

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Directs the Department of Enterprise Services to develop a scoping plan, including a costs and savings assessment, for the state and local governments to achieve a fully electric vehicle fleet.
Provides that all vehicles operated by the state must be electric beginning with passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2023, and medium and heavy duty vehicles of model year 2026.
Provides that all vehicles operated by local governments must be electric beginning with passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2025, and medium and heavy duty vehicles of model year 2027.

Background:

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) manages a fleet of over 4,000 state-owned vehicles. Some state agencies manage their own fleets as well. The DES's Fleet Operations provides repair and maintenance services for all state-owned vehicles.

The Legislature in 2007 instituted a new requirement for state agencies and local governments to use electricity or biofuel to satisfy their fuel usage for operating publicly owned vessels, vehicles, and construction equipment, to the extent practicable as determined by rules adopted by the Department of Commerce (Commerce). This requirement went into effect on June 1, 2015, for state agencies and June 1, 2018, for local governments. Rules were adopted by Commerce to define what is "practicable," to create exceptions allowed under statute, and to manage compliance.

In December 2015 Governor Jay Inslee announced a new initiative to accelerate Washington's acquisition of electric vehicles. The Governor required that at least 20 percent of the state's new passenger vehicle purchases would be electric vehicles by 2017.

The first long-range electric vehicles managed by the DES were put into use on April 27, 2017. The DES website reports that its long-range electric vehicles have traveled 818,003 miles since then, saving over 34,000 gallons of fuel (based on a fleet average of 24 miles per gallon). The Department of Transportation has invested about $2.5 million in installing charging locations near interstates in Washington.

Governor Inslee announced an updated initiative in September 2018 to increase the state's electric vehicle acquisition to at least 50 percent by 2020. The Legislature allocated $5.45 million for this purpose from the state's settlement with Volkswagen, who had been illegally circumventing emissions rules.

Summary of Bill:

The DES is directed to complete a scoping plan by January 1, 2021, for the state, state agencies, and local governments to achieve a fully electric vehicle fleet. The scoping plan must prepare Washington to meet the following requirements:

all state-owned or operated passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2023 or later must be electric;
all local government-owned or operated passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2025 or later must be electric;
all state-owned or operated medium and heavy duty vehicles of model year 2026 or later must be electric; and
all local government-owned or operated medium and heavy duty vehicles of model year 2027 or later must be electric.

The DES may authorize exemptions for vehicles for which no reasonable electric vehicle option exists, such as police cars, fire trucks, and other emergency response vehicles. Medium and heavy duty vehicles are vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds. (The average pickup truck or SUV weighs between 4700–4800 pounds. A Type A or "short" school bus may be greater or less than 10,000 pounds, depending on its exact length).

The scoping plan must predict and analyze the effect that these requirements will have on the need for electric vehicle charging stations, including the extent of upgrades to the electrical system necessary to meet this demand. The plan must estimate the costs and savings of the electric vehicle requirement. The DES must also identify financing mechanisms for the transition to electric vehicles.

As the electric vehicle requirements go into effect, the Department of Licensing (DOL) is prohibited from registering vehicles that do not meet these requirements. The DOL or the Attorney General may enjoin violations of this section.

To develop the scoping plan, the DES must consult with the DOL, the Department of Ecology, the Transportation Commission, the Department of Transportation, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and local governments.