Department Of Energy Issues Guidance On Earning Credits For Acquiring Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued updated guidance on earning credits toward compliance for state and alternative fuel provider fleets that acquire hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and low-speed vehicles (LSVs). Through model year 2011, HEVs, PHEVs, and LSVs are not eligible for alternative fuel vehicle (AFV)–acquisition credit under Standard Compliance. If DOE decides to allocate credits for HEV, PHEV, and LSV acquisitions, credits could apply as early as model year 2012.

HEVs and PHEVs - Presently, to be considered an AFV for earning EPAct compliance credit, electric drive vehicles must be one of the following:

Electric Motor Vehicles: Powered primarily by an electric motor.
Dedicated Vehicles: Operates solely on alternative fuel. HEVs or PHEVs that require the use of conventional petroleum fuel are not dedicated vehicles.
Dual-Fueled Vehicles: Capable of operating on alternative fuel and on gasoline or diesel fuel, and—in the case of using electricity as a fuel—receives electricity as fuel from an off-board source with the ability to pass a full U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urban test cycle and a full EPA highway test cycle on only electricity, as evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Low-Speed Vehicles - Low-speed vehicles—including neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs)—can reach speeds of up to twenty-five miles-per-hour. Currently, these vehicles are not eligible for credit because they are non-road vehicles and so not considered motor vehicles under EPAct.

NEVs that a fleet acquires do not count as light-duty vehicle (LDV) acquisitions under Standard Compliance. Nonetheless, NEVs may reduce the fleet's AFV-acquisition requirements if the vehicles replace non-excluded LDV acquisitions that might otherwise serve to increase the annual acquisition requirement. DOE supports and encourages the voluntary use of NEVs because they do not consume petroleum.

For more information regarding this subject, you can download a PDF on the topic from NAFA.org regarding alternative fueled vehicle fleet plug-in hybrid electric vehicle guidance, click here, and for a PDF regarding alternative fueled vehicle fleet hybrid electric vehicle and low-speed vehicle guidance, click here.