Mike Albert Fleet Solutions part of single largest fleet deployment of EVS in nation
CINCINNATI, OH, June 28, 2013 – Cincinnati-based Mike Albert Fleet Solutions (MAFS) Business Development Manager, Dave Fricke, joined Mitsubishi Motors North America President and CEO Yoichi Yokozawa, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC), and other Bay Area leaders yesterday in California as they announced at a press conference at San Jose City Hall the deployment of 50 all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs to four Bay Area local government fleets – San Jose, Los Gatos, Campbell and Mill Valley – representing the largest single municipal fleet deployment of light-duty all-electric vehicles (EVs) in the nation to date.
Supporting the region’s efforts to establish the Bay Area as the “EV Capital of the US” and Governor Brown’s goal of 1.5 million EVs on California roads by 2025, this deployment is just one in a series of deployments the BACC and partners are facilitating, which collectively could result in 250+ EVs deployed for valuable potential impacts including fuel cost savings of nearly $2 million and avoidance of nearly 6 million pounds of CO2 over the next five years.
When Active International approached MAFS’ Fricke with this opportunity, he and his team, along with representatives at the BACC, began working on the agreement that would secure vehicles under MAFS’ highly favorable lease terms, removing the upfront cost barrier and risk of traditional vehicle procurement. “It is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it, but it’s electrifying when you put the minds of an entire team to it,” says Fricke. These unique lease options allow participating municipalities to expand on their already progressive sustainability efforts, while delivering the significant operations, maintenance and fuel cost savings associated with EVs.
MAFS’ President, Marty Betagole, shared her enthusiasm for this initiative, “Mike Albert was very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Active International, in partnership with the BACC, to offer a fleet deployment strategy that addresses municipal green goals while removing cost barriers. That is what our company is all about…providing innovative fleet solutions that help our clients meet their objectives.”
The City of San Jose, which received 38 of the 50 vehicles, is aiming to power 100 percent of its fleet with alternative fuel vehicles by 2022 as a part of its Green Vision, and is currently 40 percent of the way toward achieving this goal.
This deployment also is enabling smaller municipalities to both demonstrate the benefits of EVs in fleets and emerge as sustainability leaders. Adding electric vehicles to the fleet lowers the carbon footprint, reduces fuel costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
“Combined, these 50 vehicles could save the participating municipalities over $130,000 in fuel costs and reduce CO2 emission by nearly 450,000 lbs over three years,” noted Rafael Reyes, Executive Director of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative. “For fleets, EVs bring improved total-cost-of ownership and insulation from gas price hikes. These municipalities are true clean vehicle pioneers, actively helping to demonstrate the benefits of EVs in fleets and providing a model for other fleets to follow.”
About Mike Albert Fleet Solutions
Cincinnati-based Mike Albert Fleet Solutions provides fleet optimization solutions that maximize cash flow, lower total cost of ownership, increase productivity and build brand awareness. The organization is one of the top 10 fleet management companies in the country, and is currently the nation’s number one privately-held Closed-End lessor. Mike Albert offers Open and Closed-End leasing, Purchase-Leaseback options, and a list of fleet management services including Maintenance Management, AutoTag registration renewal, Telematics, accident management, fuel card, remarketing, and more. For more information, please visit www.mikealbert.com.
About Active International
Active International consults with the Fortune 1000 on ways to optimize their enterprise assets, typically excess consumer packaged goods, real estate and capital equipment. As the global leader in corporate trade, Active has successfully helped many of the world’s leading brands recover value, reduce costs and increase market share. Providing a dynamic financial tool, Active has helped its clients improve their business performance, delivering $1.5 billion in economic benefit since 1984. Active International is based in New York and has offices in 14 countries. www.activeinternational.com.
About the Bay Area Climate Collaborative
The Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) is a public-private initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and established by the Mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to accelerate the clean energy economy. Major partners include Bank of America, PG&E, Environmental Defense Fund, industry partners including ChargePoint, and local governments representing over 70 percent of the Bay Area population. The BACC is driving electric vehicle innovation through co-facilitation of the EV Strategic Council, the executive forum driving the region’s vision to be the “EV Capital of the US”; the Local Government EV Fleet National Demonstration Project and facilitation of negotiated EV leases for fleets, for the largest collective municipal all-battery EV fleet deployment in the US; and Ready, Set, Charge, California! A Guide to EV-Ready Communities delivering key guidance on EV preparedness. For more information on the BACC, please visit: www.baclimate.org.
About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells coupes, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 400 dealers. In November of 2011, MMNA launched the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i-MiEV as part of a corporate mission to offer consumers more environmentally responsible modes of transportation. This battery-powered electric vehicle technology addresses the need for vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions and support a growing agenda for sustainability. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.
