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BEST PRACTICES: ZERO-EMISSION FLEETS

Advertorial

Transitioning to Zero Emission
Technology with WSP
By Cliff Henke, John Drayton, Alva Carrasco and Jim Wensley
In the midst of abundant scientific evidence suggesting that carbon emissions are changing our climate in ways
that will damage the environment and
create economic distress, public demand for a transition to a zero emission
(ZE) world is placing the burden on the
shoulders of governments and private
businesses around the globe to address
this crisis by adjusting their operations.
Public and private transit agencies find
themselves on the front lines of this global
transition, due largely to their significance
and visibility in the everyday lives of people, the extent of government control in
many countries, and the industry's legacy
of fossil fuel consumption. Accordingly,
governments worldwide are focused on
the transit industry, embracing a transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as
part of concerted efforts to meet broader climate change mitigation targets. This
focus requires coordination and collaboration between numerous stakeholders,
including transit agencies, governments,
utilities, manufacturers, service providers, and climate activists, with each
stakeholder facing a broad range of new
challenges in the increasingly cooperative quest to plan, manage, and finance
a large-scale transition to ZE technology.

Hundreds of thousands of ZEVs, both
battery electric and fuel cell vehicles, are
already in service in cities around the
world, transporting millions of passen-

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gers on a daily basis. Lessons learned
from those early adopters go a long way
to helping advance the state of-the-art,
which continues to evolve at a rapid
pace. The emergence of new and more
affordable technologies, refined business
models, clearly defined policies and legislation, and flexible financing options
together contribute to a set of more comprehensive and implementable options
for addressing the many challenges of
large-scale ZE technology adoption.
Changing the mechanisms by which
public transport is delivered and supported can be challenging given the
24/7 nature of transit operations but
transitioning to zero emission can be
accomplished with careful planning, a
comprehensive approach, and expert
advice. While early adopters, including
several major metropolitan areas, may
have greater resources and capacities
to move forward with their transitions
ahead of smaller urban and rural markets, the latter will benefit in the long run
from greater economies of scale, stabilized pricing, and the availability of tested
infrastructure and energy solutions.
Harnessing the collective expertise
and experiences of its professionals
around the world, WSP has prepared a
white paper as a blueprint designed to
help prepare transit providers for the
many challenges ahead, and to highlight

Mass Transit | Best Practices: Zero-Emission Fleets | MARCH 2020

areas where expert guidance can help
pave the road to a smooth transition. This
paper captures the broad complexities of
the ZE transition by focusing on four major elements of ZE technology adoption:
1. Planning - Accomplishing large-scale
adoption requires visionary planning
across all phases and all elements of the
technology transition.
2. Procurement - A broad systems-perspective approach is needed to the procurement process, ensuring interoperability between vehicles, charging systems,
and power supplies.
3. Energy - One of the most critical components of large-scale Zero Emission
technology adoption lies in the ability to
secure sufficient, cost-effective, uninterrupted energy to fuel ZE fleets.
4. Change management - Transit providers must recognize that managing
organizational change; including service
planning, scheduling, operations, maintenance and labour, is a key component
of any strategy to advance zero emission
technology adoption.

Visit wsp.com/zero-emission to
download the white paper.
http://www.wsp.com/zero-emission
Mass_Transit_March_2020

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