King County operates a large and diverse fleet of vehicles ranging from street sweepers and forklifts to passenger buses and deputy patrol units, each required to accomplish work or deliver services to the region. Vehicle technology is evolving rapidly, and the County is often on the cutting-edge when piloting new models or adopting more sustainable fuels. As a result, County staff must be creative, flexible, and data-driven in approaches to adapt more than 3,700 Metro vehicles and 2,500 other vehicles spread across operations.
What's at stake
Transportation accounts for 44 percent of total emissions in King County and 57 percent of governmental emissions, and the largest source of County fleet emissions are from Metro buses. The County must lead by example to promote cleaner vehicles and fuel uses for commuters and businesses. Historically, the County’s vehicles were powered by internal combustion engines, burning gasoline, diesel and propane, meaning tailpipes sent pollutants straight into the air that communities breathe. While current vehicle engines are cleaner than those from just a decade ago, each vehicle not powered by zero-emission technology will continue to release greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollution into the atmosphere.
A better outcome
King County expects a future where people residing along transit corridors encounter fewer pollutants and the County’s fleet contributes far fewer emissions. The County will also continue as an innovator in the zero-emission transportation space. This will mean a fleet with more zero-emission vehicles, and when that is not feasible, operating with bridge fuels such as cleaner, renewable diesel.
What we've done to get here
- Invested significant resources to support a transition to a zero-emission Metro bus fleet.
- Installed an initial round of 22 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across seven Metro bases, with charging ports for 38 vehicles.
- Secured over $40 million of Federal Transit Administration funding to procure battery electric buses for Metro in South King County and put 40 battery electric buses into service with over 1.5 million miles traveled through the end of 2024.
- Initiated development of phased EV transition plans for County agencies.
- Piloted the testing of electric heavy-duty and off-road equipment for solid waste operations and at the airport.