Sawatch Labs helps Colorado’s Arapahoe County transition to electric vehicles

Colorado's third-most populous county, Arapahoe, added its first electric vehicle (EV) to its fleet this June. Fleet analytics from Sawatch Labs, an Arapahoe-based startup that WEX acquired in May 2024, aided Arapahoe County's decision to add EVs to its fleet.

"Arapahoe County uses data to take action that measurably decreases our environmental impact," says Randy Campbell, Arapahoe County Fleet Manager. "The purchase of this van shows that we are providing fiscally responsible leadership, particularly in the areas of facilities and fleet management."

Brandon Hadden, of Sawatch Labs, a WEX company, speaks at a June 27 Arapahoe County event celebrating the addition of its first electric vehicle in its fleet. Sawatch Labs provided predictive analytics to determine electric vehicle (EV) suitability. | Image Credit: Arapahoe County

Leveraging a Colorado Energy Office grant to purchase a Ford E-Transit 350 Cargo Van, it's the first of several electric vehicles the County plans to add to its fleet. The first van will be used by the Weatherization team, which installs energy-efficient appliances in qualifying low-income households in Arapahoe and nearby Adams Counties.

Sawatch Labs played a crucial role in assisting Arapahoe County in evaluating the suitability of EVs for its fleet. They collected three months' worth of telematics data from seven vehicles in the County's fleet serving the Weatherization team, Sheriff's Office, and Distribution & Printing Services departments. A comprehensive analysis determined how an EV would perform following the same drive cycles and driving patterns as the existing traditional fuel vehicles. Based on Sawatch Labs' Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment Software, the County received an overall EV Suitability Score (ezEV) for each vehicle, which indicated that the Weatherization van was highly suitable for replacement with an EV. The evaluation project was funded by a state-approved rebate under Xcel Energy's Fleet Electrification Advisory Program.

Thanks to Sawatch Labs' robust analytics, Arapahoe County anticipates gaining significant benefits from its new electric van. Compared to the previous vehicle, the new van is projected to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%, assuming it is charged using an Xcel power source that doesn't include wind or solar energy.
• Save the County $15,000-$18,000 in operational costs over the vehicle's lifetime.
• And only cost an average of $2.02 per day to charge, about 18.4kWh daily, assuming the vehicle is driven 36 miles/day.

"We are committed to providing our clients with actionable insights into their fleet operations so they can make informed decisions for the future," said Matt Helm, founder of Sawatch Labs, and now Director of Sawatch Product at WEX. "We are delighted to partner with our own Arapahoe County on this important transition. We are eager to help them achieve their goals of reducing emissions and optimizing their operations - as well as enabling them to help our neighbors achieve energy conservation measures in their homes."

The Arapahoe County Fleet team will track stats for the new van to determine efficiency, dependability, and maintenance needs. Since the County plans to purchase seven electric vehicles of various makes/models, all of which have high ezEV scores, this first vehicle's data is critical to evaluate its effectiveness as a part of the County's mixed-energy fleet.

Building a mixed-energy fleet - an integration of both electric and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles - provides a pragmatic approach for businesses navigating through the initial stages of fleet electrification. With a mixed-energy fleet, a business or government department like Arapahoe County can balance innovation, operational reliability, and efficiency.

A mixed-energy fleet adoption strategy allows fleet managers like Campbell to gradually familiarize themselves with the nuances of EV operation, maintenance, and management without undertaking an all-encompassing shift. It also affords the flexibility to capitalize on the strengths of different vehicle types based on specific operational needs and route characteristics, ensuring that a fleet's efficiency isn't compromised during the transition period. Adopting a mixed-energy fleet can be a risk-mitigated, calculated introduction to electric mobility, offering businesses the latitude to adapt, learn, and potentially transition fully when the infrastructure is fully in place.

"Transitioning to a mixed-energy fleet is more than just replacing vehicles - it's about identifying the right use cases, right vehicles for those use cases, and the right charging strategies for those vehicles," said Jay Collins, SVP and GM of Energy Transition at WEX. "There's a great benefit to the planet and the bottom line when the transition is done right. Sawatch helps our customers do it right."

Even before the recent EV evaluation project, WEX has supported Arapahoe County's fleet operations, as the County uses WEX's fleet fuel cards to pay for departments' traditional vehicle fleet's needs. Arapahoe County is one of the first shared customers between WEX and the newly-acquired Sawatch Labs.

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