University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
OP-18: Campus Fleet

The adoption of more widespread alternative fuel and power technology in the motorized fleet is challenging. The majority of our fleet vehicles are service vehicles that must serve a large range of maintenance tasks and have the capacity to carry a variety of equipment. Therefore, it is very common to see full-sized vans or trucks used on campus. However, there has been some effort to use the smaller Vantage vans. These are still gasoline-powered, but use much less gasoline than their larger predecessors. The other most prevalent service vehicle used are small carts that travel on sidewalks, such as Gators or Mules. These vehicles have been replaced with a few full-electric equivalents, but the reliability and success of the battery technology in these vehicles proved inconsistent during the winter months. The passenger vehicle fleet has been outsourced to Enterprise Rental, so we do not have any significant impact on their vehicle choices. The few passenger vehicles in our fleet do have flex-fuel capabilities, although it is easy to argue against the sustainability of ethanol. Exploring biodiesel options seems to be the likely course for future adoption, along with integrating electric vehicles with lithium-ion battery technology since there are now charging stations appearing on campus.