Full-Size Electric Vehicles

The goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) has been to promote the use of electric vehicles in commercial fleets in the United States. In support of this goal, the AVTA actively supported the purchase, operation, and data collection of commercially available electric vehicles in electric utility fleet operations.

During 1996, AVTA requested and received proposals from interested groups to become qualified vehicle testers (QVT). This formal procurement process resulted in the selection of two groups of QVTs. Southern California Edison (SCE), a California-based electric utility, headed one QVT. The other QVT group, headed by Electric Transportation Applications (ETA) of Arizona, included Arizona Public Service, Potomac Electric Power Company, and the Salt River Project.

EVAmerica baseline performance testing, Southern California Edison (SCE) Pomoma loop open road testing, fleet performance and accelerated reliability testing, and U.S. Postal service vehicle testing were all a part of the activities conducted in the late 1990s.