Arlington, Texas – If you have been thinking about purchasing an alternative fuel vehicle or advanced technology, but you still have questions, a new program allows you to try the technology first.
Try and Drive Alternative is a regional initiative managed by the Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Coalition that provides fleet managers and consumers the chance to borrow clean vehicle technologies, such as alternative fuel vehicles, for a trial period before making an investment.
Fleets and consumers are connected to participating technology providers via a directory maintained by DFW Clean Cities. Technologies listed in the directory include telematics, alternative fuel vehicles, alternative fueling infrastructure and more. The directory, more information about the program and how to be listed as a provider are available at
www.nctcog.org/dfwtrydrive.
Vehicles and equipment can be borrowed for a single day, a week, or longer, depending on the arrangement with the vendor. This trial period can provide the opportunity for side-by-side comparisons with traditional equipment and ensure that operational needs can be met without a commitment to purchase.
In addition, alternative fuel vehicles and other clean vehicle technologies can provide several benefits, including maintenance and fuel cost savings, as well as emissions benefits.
By providing first-hand experiences with clean vehicle technologies, Try and Drive Alternative can play an important part in helping fleet operators see the benefits of these technologies with the hope of increasing their adoption and improving regional air quality. This effort is important because Dallas-Fort Worth is in nonattainment for ozone and is working to meet the federal government’s standards for the pollutant.
For more information on the DFW Clean Cities Coalition’s contributions to the effort to improve the region’s air, visit
www.dfwcleancities.org.
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.
NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. Currently, NCTCOG has 238 member governments including
16 counties, 169 cities, 22 school districts and 31 special districts. For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit
www.nctcog.org/trans.
In 1995, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Clean Cities became one of the first Clean Cities coalitions under the Energy Policy Act’s provision for an organization that promotes the use of alternative fuels to lessen America’s dependence on foreign sources of petroleum. Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities is a locally-based, public/private partnership that seeks to advance energy security, protect environmental and public health, and stimulate economic development by promoting practices and decisions to reduce transportation energy impacts and improve air quality, primarily in the transportation sector.