City’s own diesel fleet transitioning to 100 percent renewable fuel
Emissions reduction target will be reached early thanks to contract with Suncor
“This shift in fuel, in conjunction with the ways we are optimizing and electrifying our fleet, proves that we are walking the talk and finding innovative ways to respond to climate change and its devastating impacts.”
The City of Vancouver has taken a significant step towards achieving its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy sources by entering into a new fuel contract with Suncor. With this new contract, all of the City’s diesel vehicles will transition to 100 percent renewable diesel, reducing emissions to 50 percent below 2007 levels by the end of next year.
“This new contract concretely demonstrates our commitment to greening our operations and deriving 100 percent of our energy from renewable sources,” says Jerry Dobrovolny, General Manager of Engineering Services. “This shift in fuel, in conjunction with the ways we are optimizing and electrifying our fleet, proves that we are walking the talk and finding innovative ways to respond to climate change and its devastating impacts.”
Counteracting harmful environmental effects
We are already seeing the negative effects of using fossil fuels over renewable energy sources, including sea level rise, more frequent heat waves and storms, increased rainfall, summer droughts, and less snow.
Transitioning 55 percent of the City fleet from five percent biodiesel content to a 100 percent renewable fuel source allows us to counteract these harmful environmental effects through lower emissions and cleaner energy.
Learn more about renewable diesel and our commitment to greening our fleet
Renewable City Strategy and Greenest City Action Plan
Shifting our diesel to a 100 percent renewable energy source also enables us to achieve ambitious goals from the Renewable City Strategy and Greenest City Action Plan.
The Renewable City Strategy encourages the City to elevate its purchasing power to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and recognizes that, due to its large fleet, a shift in fuel provider will result in a significant emissions reduction.
The Greenest City Action Plan sets a 2030 target of a 50 per cent reduction in emission from City operations over 2007 levels. With the planned implementation of 100 per cent renewable fuel in the diesel fleet, this target will be achieved next year.