Our Success Story this week takes us to Northern California’s UC Davis, a pioneer in alternative fuel vehicle research. Here, a wide variety of alt-fuel vehicles roam the campus; from compressed natural gas buses, to numerous plug-in hybrid conversions, to this Scion eBox EV—with an electric motor filling in for the original gas engine. Electrified vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, are studied by the Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center. The PHEV Center evaluates consumer behaviors, vehicle technologies, batteries and charging station needs, and even helps develop dashboard displays to make electric driving more practical.

RICHARD BATTERSBY: At UC Davis, obviously we’re concerned about the environment and sustainability…and this is a way we can practice what we preach. So we like to set the example, we don’t just do research and make recommendations to others—we do it ourselves.

JOHN DAVIS: With over 50 chargers on campus, including 30 Level 2 chargers, a Direct Current Quick Charging station, and even an experimental wireless station, U.C. Davis is ready for an EV plug-in future.

For more information, please visit the Clean Cities website. You can also view recent segments by clicking here.