Electric Trucks to Put a Charge Into Anti-Smog Effort

In a bid to jump-start the use of smog-free vehicles in Ventura County, air quality officials approved $116,500 in new spending Tuesday to put 10 electrically powered light trucks on the road and to expand outlets where they can be charged.

The unanimous vote by the county Air Pollution Control District board helps pave the way for expansion of electric vehicle use in the county as government fleet operators look for ways to replace gasoline vehicles with nonpolluting models.

“Motor vehicles are responsible for more than half of Ventura County’s smog problem,” said Dick Baldwin, executive officer for the district. “An electric vehicle, even after adding power plant emissions, is more than 90% cleaner than current gasoline cars on the road. So the introduction of electric vehicles and learning how they work in the real world is a key part of our future for cleaning the air.”

Under the program, six local agencies will acquire their first electric vehicles and add them to service fleets. Five Toyota RAV4s and five Ford Ranger trucks are headed for Ojai, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Ventura County and Cal State Channel Islands.

In addition, 10 charging stations will be installed at those locations and made available to the public. Electric cars run on batteries--the only technology at present that can reliably power a car without emissions--and need to be replenished with current almost daily.

Despite their environmental appeal, electric vehicles have limitations. They do not go as far as gasoline cars. Charging outlets, too, are few, so long-distance trips require careful planning. And they can cost up to $43,000 or come with hefty lease payments, according to officials.

As a result, only about 1,000 electric vehicles are operating in California and Arizona. The most popular model has been General Motors’ EV1, which accounts for 547 of the electric cars on the road today.

In Ventura County, about 10 consumers have leased electric cars, according to the pollution control district. The agency, in conjunction with the California Energy Commission, provides up to $5,000 toward lease or purchase of the cars under a separate program from the one available to government agencies.

Cecil McLester of Westlake was the first person in Ventura County to get a new EV1. An electronics salesman, he leased the futuristic-looking two-seater in December 1996 and uses it for work and road trips around Southern California. The monthly lease payment is $399, the car’s batteries take an hour to be fully recharged, and a satellite device in the car pinpoints 400 regional recharging stations, from the Hollywood Bowl to Costco stores to Texaco stations.

“I have 15,000 miles on it and I haven’t stopped for gas yet,” McLester said. “I like driving it. It’s a sporty car and you get lots of looks.”

By 2010, about 100,000 electric vehicles a year could be added to the state’s highways under a mandate by the California Air Resources Board that 10% of all new cars sold that year be nonpolluting. Those cars probably will feature advanced batteries or other technologies expected to greatly extend the range of the cars. Between 1998 and 2000, the Air Resources Board requires manufacturers to produce 3,750 zero-emissions vehicles for sale in California.

With those developments in mind, Ventura County agencies decided it was time to add some electric vehicles to their fleets to see if they can eventually displace dirtier gasoline-fueled cars.

“We’re really committed to the concept of bringing alternative-fueled vehicles” to Ventura County, said Vance Johnson, housing program officer for Fillmore. “We’re excited about this. These things are great.”

Fillmore received a grant for $24,731 to help pay for two electric trucks and a charging station. Johnson said the vehicles may be used by the director or the water meter inspector or for community events.

Dan Singer, general services director for Ojai, said the city sought electric cars to fight smog. Ojai received $25,000 to help pay for one RAV4, one Ranger pickup and two public charging stations. Singer said a building inspector will use one vehicle and the other will be used for general services.

To increase the air quality benefit, the Air Pollution Control District requires that the agencies receiving funds scrap at least one old, gasoline-powered car.

Funds to help government agencies convert to alternative-fueled vehicles come from the $5-billion Pollution Violation Escrow Account, which is money collected from oil companies in a legal settlement over accusations that the industry overcharged consumers for gasoline during energy shortages in the 1970s, said state Energy Commission spokesman Bob Aldrich.

“The state is getting really close to having all its ducks in a row to having electric vehicles as a main source of transportation,” Aldrich said.