Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), the Fleet Sustainability Dashboard, or FleetDASH, tracks participating Federal agencies’ fleet fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and vehicle inventories throughout the year. Beginning in fiscal year 2021, DOE FEMP uses FleetDASH as the primary EPAct 2005 Section 701 waiver requests and compliance tool (see Section 701 in FleetDASH). FleetDASH primarily supports the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) leased portion of Federal fleets using GSA Reports Carryout datasets, although agencies can work with FEMP to incorporate their agency-owned data. FEMP continues to work to incorporate agency owned vehicle data as sources are available.

Data processing sections:

• Data Sources
• Timeliness
• Terms
• Processing Steps
• Geocoding
• Data Quality

Data Sources

Fuel Transaction Reports

FleetDASH's primary data set is the Transactional by Vehicle report within the Fuel Use Reports section of the GSA Reports Carryout system. The Transactional by Vehicle report includes individual fuel transaction records that show each time a driver purchased fuel for a GSA leased vehicle with the fuel card associated with that vehicle. FEMP continues to work with agencies to incorporate agency owned data as well.

FleetDASH uses the following from the fuel transaction records:

• Fuel type of the vehicle for which the fuel was purchased
• Type of fuel purchased
• Purchase date of the fuel
• Station name, address, city, state, and ZIP code of the purchase location
• Quantity of fuel purchased in the natural units of the fuel
• Each fuel transaction record is assigned to a fleet hierarchy based on an organization code (e.g. BOAC for GSA leased vehicles) on the transaction record.

Fleet Inventory Reports

Fleet inventory reports contain vehicle attribute information that is displayed in FleetDASH and can be helpful in support analyses.

The inventory information primarily includes the following:

• Point of contact information
• Garage location
• Vehicle standard item number (SIN)
• Vehicle type (e.g. sedan, SUV, etc.)
• Year, make, and model
• Law enforcement and Emergency response designations

Timeliness

Data for a given month will be available on the FleetDASH website by the end of the following month. For example, data for January will be pulled from the Reports Carryout system on February 15 and will be available on FleetDASH by February 28. The FleetDASH team pulls data in accordance with the Reports Carryout schedule for loading bulk transaction data from Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy (formerly the Defense Energy Support Center, or DESC), which occurs between the 10th and 15th days of each month.

Terms:

Gasoline Gallon Equivalents

All fuel quantities shown in FleetDASH are in units of gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs), which is the quantity of the fuel in question that contains the same amount of energy as one gallon of gasoline. For example, because a gallon of E85 contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline, a fuel purchase of 1 gallon of E85 is represented in FleetDASH as 0.72 GGEs of E85. See the Processing Steps section for additional details.

Missed Opportunities

Missed opportunities are defined as instances where dual-fuel or flex-fuel vehicles capable of operating on an alternative fuel are fueled with petroleum at a location where the appropriate alternative fuel is available within 3 miles

Avoidable Greenhouse Gases

Avoidable greenhouse gases are defined as the emissions that could have been avoided had missed opportunities been alternative fuel purchases. Avoidable greenhouse gases are calculated by subtracting the greenhouse gas emissions that would have occurred due to the alternative fuel from the emissions due to the purchased petroleum.

Available Alternative Fuel

Available alternative fuel is defined as fuel provided by operational stations that are accessible to agency vehicles where the marketed price of the fuel is not more expensive than gasoline. For example, if a gallon of E85 (as opposed to a GGE) is more expensive than a gallon of gasoline in a particular month, E85 at that station is considered unreasonably more expensive and the fuel is considered unavailable for that month. Users should report inaccessible stations or unreasonably expensive fuel to NREL.

Processing Steps

Fuel transaction data is organized for presentation in FleetDASH according to the following primary steps.

1. Assign transaction to organizations

   BOAC-to-organization mapping is determined by Federal agency fleet executive management.

   • Organization codes are mapped to the fleet hierarchy by agency fleet executive management.
   • Records with unassigned organization codes are excluded from the dashboard until the organization code assignment is made.
   • Records with organization codes specifically excluded from reporting by agency fleet executive management are excluded from the dashboard views.
2. Convert fuel quantities to GGEs
   • The natural units of the fuel transaction are converted to GGEs. The conversion factors for each fuel type can be found in the Federal Automotive Statistical Tool (FAST).
3. Calculate greenhouse gas emissions

   Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are calculated in metric tons of CO2 equivalents (MT CO2e) by applying GHG emissions factors to the quantity of fuel purchased for each fuel transaction record. GHG emissions factors for each fuel type can be found in FAST.

4. Locate fuel stations

   The station location for each transaction is assigned a specific latitude and longitude through a process referred to as geocoding. Please see the Geocoding section for more detail.

5. Identify missed opportunities

   Fuel purchases are classified as missed opportunities when dual-fuel capable vehicles purchase petroleum fuel when the appropriate alternative fuel is available nearby.

   • An alternative fuel is determined to be available nearby if a station known to sell the fuel is accessible to agency vehicles, accepts the appropriate fuel credit card, and is within a 3-mile straight line distance of where petroleum was purchased.
   • Alternative fuel station locations are determined by the Alternative Fueling Station Locator database available at the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center.

Geocoding

Geocoding is the process of translating a physical address to a latitude and longitude. FleetDASH uses geocoding to determine the locations of fueling transactions and vehicle garages using a MapQuest geocoding service. That service provides accuracy levels that include (premise is the most accurate level):

• Premise
• Address
• Intersection
• Street
• Postal Code
• Locality
• Region
• Unknown
• NULL

The overwhelming majority of stations (86%) are geocoded at the address or premise levels, and 97% are geocoded at the postal code level or better. Less than 1% of stations are unable to be geocoded, and therefore are not accounted for in geographic analysis. However, fuel use from these stations is accounted for in the fuel consumption summaries.

Data Quality

The systems that log fuel purchase transaction data are automated rather than manually entered, which means that the data quality in general is believed to be robust. However, there are issues that can affect data quality.

Miscoded Fuel Transactions

In some instances, transaction data shows an unexpected fuel purchased for a particular vehicle fuel type; for example, B20 purchased for an E85-capable vehicle, or diesel purchased for a gasoline vehicle. Fleets have also reported that alternative fuel purchases sometimes are not correctly recorded in transaction records; for example, E85 was purchased for a flex-fuel vehicle, but the transaction is recorded as a gasoline purchase. FleetDASH does not update the transaction fuel types, but the stations can be flagged as known to have fuel coding issues. Fleet personnel can report fuel coding issues by contacting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Missing Fuel Purchase Data

Agency fleet fuel purchases can be delayed or missing entirely in transaction data. Delayed transactions are loaded in FleetDASH in the following month data load. When transaction data is missing entirely, fleet management can work with the fleet fuel card provider to ensure the transaction data is being transmitted appropriately.

Mis-geocoded Fuel Transaction Location

Some station locations are not accurately determined through the automated geocoding process. This can result in inaccurate missed opportunity designations. When identified these locations can be updated by the FleetDASH team. To report inaccurate fuel station locations, fleet personnel can contact NREL.

Station Closures

Occasionally an alternative fuel station may close or stop offering the alternative fuel after a missed opportunity was recorded. In that case, clicking on the “Alternate Station” link on the Missed Opportunities by Vehicle page will indicate that there is no alternative fuel available within a 3-mile radius. Fleet personnel can report closed stations by contacting NREL.

Incorrect Vehicle Information

Examples of incorrect vehicle information include a gasoline vehicle marked as a flex-fuel vehicle or a vehicle assigned to an incorrect organization code. These issues can cause vehicles to appear in the wrong organization or missed opportunities to be reported for vehicles that are not alternative fuel capable vehicles. These issues can be corrected in subsequent data loads by working with GSA or fleet credit card providers to ensure the vehicle data is being accurately tracked.

Section 701 of EPAct 2005 requires federal agencies to use alternative fuel in dual-fueled vehicles when it is reasonably available and not unreasonably more expensive than gasoline. Beginning in fiscal year 2021, DOE FEMP is using FleetDASH to process Section 701 waiver requests and compliance calculations.

More information on Section 701 is available in the Guidance for Federal Agencies on EPAct 2005 Section 701.

Section 701 Tracking

Section 701 views include only those dual-fueled vehicles that are subject to the regulation and are designed to show agency performance for the portion of the fleet included in FleetDASH. The Section 701 views exclude all transactions that occur beyond 3 miles of available alternative fuel, defined as stations that are accessible to agency vehicles where the fuel is not more expensive than gasoline based on its marketed price (e.g. where a gallon of E85, as opposed to a GGE, is more expensive than a gallon of gasoline).

The 701 Attainment value is calculated for covered vehicles and is the alternative fuel portion of total covered fuel purchased within 3 miles of available alternative fuel.

Section 701 Attainment Tracking

The FleetDASH 701 Attainment pie chart displays the selected organization’s current fiscal year to date 701 Attainment in relation to the organization’s covered missed opportunities to use alternative fuel. The Comparison to Prior Fiscal Year chart compares these values to the prior fiscal year to date.

Section 701 Summary Table

The summary table displays organizational level current fiscal year to date summaries of the vehicle detail in the vehicle summary table. The number of covered and exempt dual-fueled vehicles are displayed along with covered and exempt fuel use in dual-fueled vehicles. The 701 Attainment percentage is displayed and is the summary value for all covered dual-fueled vehicles assigned to the specific organization.

Section 701 Vehicle Summary Table

The vehicle summary table displays fleet dual-fueled vehicles and their covered or exempt status. In FleetDASH, vehicles are automatically classified as exempt if they are flagged as emergency response or law enforcement in the input data sources. Exempt vehicles are included in the vehicle summary table but are excluded from 701 attainment calculations. Vehicle missed opportunity and alternative fuel use quantities are displayed for the current fiscal year to date. The vehicle 701 Attainment value is calculated for all covered vehicles.

Electric Vehicle Efficiency Factor

The FleetDASH 701 Attainment metric incorporates an electric vehicle efficiency factor (EVEF) for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) which accounts for the increased efficiency of PHEVs while operating on electricity. Multiplying the PHEV electricity use by the EVEF allows for a more accurate representation of the percentage of miles a PHEV is operates on electricity. More detail on the EVEF is available in the Section 701 Guidance.

Reporting High Prices and Station Access Issues

Section 701 allows for alternative fuel use waivers when the alternative fuel is unreasonably more expensive than gasoline. FleetDASH accounts for these waivers by excluding stations reported to have high alternative fuel prices. In addition, stations are excluded if fleets are not able to access the station.

Reporting High Priced Stations

Fleet managers can report stations that are unreasonably expensive per the Section 701 Guidance by contacting NREL. DOE verifies the accuracy of reported unreasonably expensive alternative fuel stations by contacting the station owner. If the price is confirmed as unreasonably expensive, DOE considers that station to be unavailable for all Federal fleet vehicles for 2 months. During the month that the high fuel cost is noted and the following month, that high-cost station is excluded from compliance for the entire Federal government (i.e., no Federal vehicles are required to fuel there).

Reporting Inaccessible Stations

Fleet managers can report stations that are not accessible to their agency or the entire federal fleet per the Section 701 Guidance by contacting NREL. FleetDASH automatically includes only stations that accept the appropriate fleet fueling card for each fleet. However, if a fleet is denied access to a specific alternative fuel station and has missed opportunities due to that station, the fleet can report the station access issue by contacting NREL. If the access limitation is confirmed, the station will be removed from the missed opportunity analysis.