Most weekdays at exactly 6:02 a.m. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) communications specialist Amy Stafford boards a motor coach at an Idaho Falls park-n-ride for the roughly 50-minute journey to INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex.
“On my way to work, I’m not one of those cool people studying to be an interior designer on the side,” Stafford said. “I sleep.”
The INL bus service is a popular employee benefit. The fleet of roughly 90 motor coaches transports more than 2,500 employees a day to their work locations at the Department of Energy’s remote desert Site and home again. The service significantly improves safety for employees and other motorists by reducing the number of cars on the road and by leaving the driving to skilled professionals, especially during the winter months. The motor coaches operate 365 days a year, accumulating 2.7 million miles annually.
“The biggest advantage is you really save on gas,” Stafford said. “Also, people stay pretty quiet on the bus. It’s nice having the quiet. I can just unplug my brain.”
Another INL employee, Cassie Sandoval, works as an administrative assistant for INL’s Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division. Sandoval drove her car to work in the summer of 2023. This summer, she took the motor coach with Stafford to the Materials and Fuels Complex.
“Last summer, my oil changes were coming up more frequently, and the tires were getting worn a lot more,” Sandoval said. “That’s 80 to 85 miles a day (round trip) from my house. By taking the motor coach for those five months, I saved about $600 in gas alone and 6,400 driving miles.”
By providing a mass-transit option, the lab has eliminated thousands of passenger vehicle trips, reducing carbon emissions and improving safety.
Still, each diesel-powered motor coach produces a substantial amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions a year, presenting a major challenge to INL’s efforts to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Department of Energy Sustainability Award
Now, the Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized INL for an initiative to reduce emissions from its motor coach fleet. The DOE Sustainability Awards is an internal awards program that honors individuals and teams at DOE facilities for their exceptional contributions to sustainability.
As a part of INL’s commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2031, the laboratory purchased an electric motor coach, which is the first electric motor coach in a federal facility.
On Sept. 12, DOE lauded the achievement with a 2024 Sustainability Award for Outstanding Zero Emissions Vehicle Program/Project. The award recognizes the work of INL Transportation Services team members Jeff Brown, Shane Rutt, Bill Ziegler and Seth Erickson.
Other motor coach innovations
The electric motor coach is far from INL’s first effort to innovate its bus fleet.
In the past, experts with INL’s Transportation Services team have collaborated with researchers and industry to implement several efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the lab’s motor coaches.
One of these projects is eClimacoach, a solar-powered climate control system that eliminates the need for idling to keep motor coach cabins a comfortable temperature for passengers. Another is Best Driver, a training program that educates motor coach drivers on best practices to drive efficiently.
The laboratory has also experimented with alternative fuel options for motor coaches, including liquid natural gas and renewable diesel that significantly reduces emissions.
INL’s electric motor coach
INL purchased the J4500 CHARGE electric motor coach in late 2022 from Motor Coach Industries. A 544-kilowatt-hour battery powers the roughly 45-foot-long vehicle for a range of about 200 miles. INL motor coaches average 120 miles each day.
The laboratory also installed two Level 3 charging stations.
As with most new technology early adopters, the transportation team had to grapple with several challenges.
“After driving the motor coach 15,000 miles in its first 10 months of operation, the Transportation Services team was able to resolve issues and concerns related to cold weather impacts on battery life, safe braking/operation in icy road conditions, climate control optimization for passenger comfort, and impacts of sub-freezing temperatures on vehicle range,” said Ira Pray, INL Mission Support Services Director.
The team predicts the electric motor coach eliminates the need for roughly 3,800 gallons of diesel fuel and prevents the release of up to 35 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions each year. The team also estimates the electric motor coach will save up to $18,000 in parts and maintenance over four years.
Improving performance
INL experts have also gathered data detailing the motor coach’s operation. Manufacturers and municipalities will use those data to improve the performance of electric motor coaches and to answer big questions about the best way to use them.
“The lessons learned from operating the electric motor coach have already helped to improve the technology so it can be more readily and easily adopted by others,” Pray said. “Furthermore, our data can help those located in colder climates better understand if an electric motor coach can prove to be a suitable solution for their campuses.”
Aside from its more tangible benefits, the electric motor coach is helping change the culture at INL, which operates in a state with some of the nation’s lowest electric vehicle adoption rates. Employees who take the electric motor coach report a quiet, comfortable and smooth ride.
“These experiences have helped transform attitudes about new technologies by normalizing them and proving that they are reliable,” Pray said.
Other awards
The Sustainability Award for Outstanding Zero Emissions Vehicle Program/Project is not the first time that DOE has recognized INL’s leadership in the sustainability realm. This partial list includes awards won since 2011:
2023: Programmatic Agreement for National Historic Preservation Act Responsibilities, Idaho National Laboratory – Honorable Mention (2023 DOE Sustainability Award Winners)
2022: Chris Ischay’s Sustainable Champion Award (INL’s Christopher Ischay receives DOE Sustainability Award)
2019: Lifetime Achievement Award (2019 DOE Sustainability Award Winners)
2018: Innovative Approach to Sustainability Award for motor coaches (2018 DOE Sustainability Award Winners)
2016: DOE Sustainability Award for Scope 1 and 2 GHG Management to Advanced Test Reactor “Transition from Diesel to Commercial Power with UPS Backup” project (2016 DOE Sustainability Award Winners)
2011: DOE Sustainability Team Award (2011 DOE Sustainability Award Winners)
