After an initial 6 month pilot, Nevada County has added SmartPedal to 39% of applicable County fleet vehicles to create fuel cost-savings and lower the County Fleet's greenhouse gas emissions. SmartPedal improves mileage by electronically correcting for unwanted changes in power, and has helped Nevada County vehicles and drivers save over 2,150 gallons of fuel since its implementation on 96 County vehicles in December 2018. On an annualized basis, this translates into saving 3,700 gallons and $13,000 in fuel-budget dollars.
In addition to Nevada County Fleet's 10 electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles that have small carbon footprints, SmartPedal helps each County vehicle produce 755 fewer pounds of greenhouse gases annually for a total of 72,492 pounds saved. This is the equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 38.7 acres of forest, according to the EPA's emissions calculator, over one year of use. For the County's electric vehicles, SmartPedal helps increase the mileage range that the vehicle can go with one charge by 7-10%.
Past Projects: Reducing The County's Carbon Footprint
In early 2017, Nevada County's Fleet Department was awarded a grant from the Northern Sierra Air Quality District covering the installation and construction costs for electric vehicle charging stations. Nevada County was then able to get a rebate from the State when replacing fleet vehicles with electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
Later in 2017, the County completed its Solar Generation and Energy Efficiency Program, which is projected to save $7 million in energy costs over the next 18 years and will increase to $1.3 million annually after that. Nevada County's new solar panels will be producing 4.4 million kWh per year, meeting around 80% of the County's energy needs. This is the equivalent to removing the greenhouse gas emissions of 653 cars or 981 tons of waste that is recycled instead of landfilled.