Save fuel, improve efficiency and reduce pollution by adopting these best practices.

Alternative Fuels

Burning conventional diesel and gasoline in our motor vehicles and equipment contributes the bulk of our greenhouse gases, air toxics, and other air pollution. Cleaner fuel alternatives, such as natural gas, propane, biofuels or electricity, emit less pollution, provide better fuel economy and help reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign oil.

Our Western Washington Clean Cities Coalition works to develop alternative fuel markets in our region.

Engine Retrofits

Heavy-duty diesel vehicles that still have a long lifespan are potential candidates for diesel emission-reducing retrofits. Retrofit devices can reduce diesel particulate emissions by up to 85 percent.

Replacements & Repowers

For heavy-duty diesel vehicles/vessels with engines nearing the end of their lifespan, vehicle replacements or repowers are potential options.

Replacing a vehicle/vessel is a good solution when the cost of buying a new one is not much more than a repower (a repower replaces an old, dirty engine with a new, cleaner engine).

In addition to better emissions, a new vehicle/vessel provides reliability, warranty benefits, lower maintenance costs, and potentially better fuel efficiency. Alternative fuel vehicles provide even cleaner options.

Repowering a vehicle/vessel is most cost-effective for large, heavy-duty, specialized equipment, such as tugboats, drilling rigs, or locomotives, where the replacement cost of the entire unit far exceeds the cost of replacing its engines.

Engine Upgrades & Conversion Kits

Engine upgrades and conversion kits that lower air emissions and fuel consumption are most common for larger engines, such as locomotive and marine engines, and are usually installed during engine overhauls.

Idle Reduction

Engine idling costs businesses money in wasted fuel and engine wear, and needlessly pollutes loading docks and other work sites with tailpipe exhaust. Reducing idling improves air quality and the bottom-line.

Vehicle Purchasing

When it is time to replace or purchase additional vehicles, fleet owners have the opportunity to consider the greenest options possible to help reduce air pollution and increase public demand for green vehicles. It is important to right-size your vehicles - identify and purchase the most appropriate size and class of vehicle for the intended application. If smaller vehicles meet the fleet’s needs, the fleet will usually save money because smaller vehicles are typically less expensive and use less fuel than larger vehicles.

For more information, visit the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide or Clean Cities’ alternative fuel vehicles.

Best Practices

Drivers and fleets can conserve fuel, improve overall efficiency and reduce pollution through a variety of best practices.