Marin Co. Fleet’s Fuel System: Changes Are A-Comin'

MARIN COUNTY, CA – With environmental concerns in mind, the County of Marin's Department of Public Works plans this spring to install modern fueling systems at eight facilities and will add two electric and five hybrid cars to its fleet.

The $857,000 fuel-system update is intended to improve usage tracking and environmental safeguards while enhancing employee safety, and the additional electric and hybrid cars vehicles, estimated to cost$202,000, will replace several older, gas-powered vehicles in the fleet, county officials said.

A facility assessment in 2016 deemed that eight county-maintained fueling stations, each more than 20 years old, were "obsolete" due to unavailability of replacement parts, the county said. Given the old equipment, fuel tracking is conducted manually at six of the eight locations.

The locations targeted for replacement are at four Marin County Fire Department facilities (Throckmorton, Hicks Valley, Tomales and Woodacre), two fire department and Marin County Sheriff’s Office substations (Marin City and Point Reyes) and two county garage facilities (Civic Center and Nicasio Yard).

Approximately $650,000 of the project's estimated $857,000 cost will be covered by the California Regional Water Quality Board as reimbursement for public works department clean-up efforts at former fuel sites in the area, officials said. The remaining funding will come from the department's budget savings accrued during the past fiscal year.

The new fueling system will improve monitoring employee usage and gas-need assessment, and new software will allow for remote oversight and heightened security, the county said.

The new system also will improve the safety of the fuel stations with increased protection against leaks and other environmental hazards. Canopies will be installed at two of the facilities that are currently exposed to the elements, which will help protect employees from severe weather during storms and extend the life of the new equipment by protecting it from weather-related deterioration, the county said.

These fueling stations are utilized by fleet vehicles, including the fire department, the Sheriff’s Office and DPW’s road-maintenance, construction vehicles and equipment. Currently, that range of required specialty vehicles does not have hybrid or EV versions available on the market, officials said.

And coming in the summer to the county fleet will be two electric Chevrolet Bolts and five various hybrid vehicles, at a total estimated cost of $202,000. County officials said they will apply to state and local grant programs to recoup costs based on available funds.

Over recent years, the public works department has furthered the county’s sustainability commitment by replacing gas-powered vehicles with more eco-friendly alternatives beginning in 2002 with the purchase of a Toyota Prius. Today's countywide fleet includes 80 hybrid vehicles and 12 EVs.

The county garage, which has used solar power since 2003, has 20 charging ports for the county fleet and a portable, solar-powered charging station that can be deployed in emergency response situations. Additionally, the public works department eecently installed 31 new charging stations for public use at the Civic Center, bringing the total public charging stations at the campus to 45.

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