Bay Area Rapid Transit – Kabir Nadkarni – 2023

Goals

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is electrifying its non-revenue vehicle fleet as a requirement of California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Non-revenue vehicles are cars and trucks used by BART staff. To support its non-revenue fleet electrification strategy, BART enlisted Kabir Nadkarni to evaluate procurement options and estimate economic and environmental impacts. 

Solutions

Nadkarni approached the problem using the following process:

• Right-size the current non-revenue vehicle fleet based on estimated underutilization. After reviewing fleet data on corrective maintenance and mileage, Nadkarni identified on-road, non-revenue vehicles that were potentially underused.
• Prioritize EV replacement options for overutilized non-revenue vehicles. Nadkarni identified EV models ready for pre-order from 35 manufacturers producing models in the U.S. He also prioritized vehicles eligible for replacement and identified suitable replacements for the highest priority vehicles.
• Identify next steps for operational plan. Nadkarni identified an important next step of conducting end-user surveys to verify that shortlisted EV models meet the specific departmental needs, and outlined alternative procurement methods. 

Potential Impact

Using the structured approach, Nadkarni identified over half of the non-revenue on-road vehicles that are believed to be underutilized, and opportune for right-sizing through carpooling. For the remaining overutilized vehicles, Nadkarni identified 148 North American vehicles that are ready for pre-order, and identified vehicles that will be available in MY2024 and MY2025. He also identified suitable electric replacements for the highest priority non-revenue vehicles.