City of Fort Collins
A fleet transition strategy reducing municipal emissions by 62%
Summary
Optony supported the City of Fort Collins in developing a plan that linked climate goals with the operational advantages of alternative fuels. In doing so, Optony performed an in-depth site-by-site analysis and developed a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Implementation Plan. This provided Fort Collins with an executable plan for electrifying vehicles and installing charging infrastructure.
Optony evaluated more than 990 City-operated vehicles from 29 different departments. developed a comprehensive Fleet Electrification Implementation Plan to evaluate the more than 990 City-operated vehicles and identify opportunities to transition to zero-emission alternatives.
The Challenge
Optony partnered with the City of Fort Collins to evaluate its municipal fleet and charging infrastructure, developing a comprehensive electrification plan aligned with the City’s Climate Action Plan and long-term carbon neutrality goals. The City of Fort Collins has to keep operations running while it upgrades feeders, runs trench, and installs EVSE. Medium‑ and heavy‑duty replacements exist but carry price and lead‑time risk. The plan had to place near‑term conversions where technology is ready, while preparing sites for later phases.
The assessment analyzed detailed vehicle data—including type, age, usage, and fuel costs—while distinguishing between the needs of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles to identify optimal electrification pathways. Vehicles are distributed across many facilities with uneven electrical capacity. This effort reflects Fort Collins’ strong commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, while ensuring that fleet operations remain reliable, efficient, and cost-effective throughout the transition.
Our Approach
Optony developed a comprehensive Fleet Electrification Implementation Plan to evaluate the more than 1,200 City-operated vehicles and identify opportunities to transition to zero-emission alternatives. The Plan assessed detailed vehicle data—such as type, age, usage, and fuel costs—supplemented by staff interviews to understand operational needs across departments. Of the 1,283 total assets reviewed, 990 vehicles were analyzed for electrification potential, with Fort Collins Utilities, the Police Department, and Transfort, public transportation operator for the City of Fort Collins, representing the largest fleets.
The analysis found that over half of the fleet’s light-duty vehicles can be readily replaced with commercially available electric models, while the remaining vehicles show promise for electrification pending cost and operational considerations.
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Consolidated fleet data into a single model and tagged each asset by body type, GVWR, duty cycle, and replacement year.
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Matched each asset class with a viable EV candidate where available. Flagged upfitting and range constraints for vehicles based on their use case.
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Built department‑level and GVWR-level TCO comparisons using fuel, maintenance, and acquisition costs.
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Completed a site-by-site load analysis for charging, including capacity assessments, port count recommendations, and mapped out existing infrastructure and proposed EV charger locations.
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Aligned the vehicle timeline and the site program to a two-phased approach through 2040, allowing procurement and construction to move together without budget risk.
990 vehicles analyzed
Comprehensive review of municipal fleet assets.
34 facilities assessed
Site-by-site infrastructure and charging capacity evaluation.
201 charging ports planned
Level 2 and DC fast chargers recommended.
62% emissions reduction potential
From electrification of key municipal fleets.
Solutions Delivered
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Charging Infrastructure Assessment
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Zero-Electric Vehicle Planning
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Load Forecasting
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Climate & Sustainability Assessment
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Total Cost of Ownership Analysis
The Solution
The Plan assessed detailed vehicle data for 990 vehicles in the Fort Collins Utilities, Police Department, and Transfort, which represented the largest fleets. 34 domicile sites were considered, and 29 analyzed for EVSE expansion. The recommended 201 total charging ports include mix of AC level 2 chargers (7.7kW - 19.2kW), and DC fast charger (50kW – 150kW).
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The City’s Fleet Replacement and Electrification Timeline presented aligns with the City’s Climate Action Plan and Our Climate Future targets of reducing GHG emissions by 80% below 2005 baseline levels by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
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60% of the fleet consists of light-duty vehicles suitable for cost-effective electrification today, while the remaining 40% are medium and heavy-duty vehicles with emerging electric options. Overall, about 9% of the fleet is already electrified.
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By 2040, electrification of the Utilities Department vehicles represents a 27% reduction in carbon emissions from City municipal vehicles, and electrification of the Police Department represents a 30% reduction in emissions. Meanwhile, by 2040, electrification of Transport vehicles represents a 5% reduction in carbon emissions.
