It’s been more than 200 years since Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), the first gas utility in the U.S., began providing service to customers in Baltimore. Today, the company’s service area extends across 2,300 square miles encompassing the city of Baltimore and all or part of 10 central Maryland counties.
BGE, an Exelon company, serves more than 1.3 million electric customers and over 680,000 gas customers. Supporting the utility’s vast electric and gas distribution networks is a fleet of 1,300 vehicles and 700 pieces of equipment.
Christopher Barnes, manager of fleet services, heads up the BGE fleet equipment and maintenance operation. The 20-year retired U.S. Navy veteran joined the company in 2017 and used his engineering background to manage the facilities department. He took on his current role in August 2020.
“We’re fortunate to have a wealth of expertise in the BGE fleet services group,” Barnes said. “We’ve also applied contracting and supply, and workforce development and HR initiatives that worked well in facilities programs to the fleet’s operations.”
The fleet services department that Barnes oversees is divided into operations and engineering and maintenance groups. An operations and engineering manager oversees a staff of 10 people who handle procurement, design, supply and contracting, fuel, telematics, and compliance responsibilities. In the maintenance arena, three supervisors manage nine shops and about 50 technicians, and seven work leads oversee daily operations.
Across the BGE fleet service operation, M5 management software plays a key role in scheduling, parts inventory management, and administrative tasks. The system tracks all maintenance and repair activity and expenses.
Telematics data accessed through the Verizon Connect network also is used to access engine operating parameters and as an early warning diagnostic tool. “It can head off a problem with a vehicle in the same way it’s used by our safety department for analyzing information on speeding and hard braking as an indicator of driver behavior,” Barnes explained.
The BGE fleet ranges in size from sedans to tandem axle trucks. Smaller bucket trucks are mainly mounted on Ford chassis, while larger units are International models. The higher gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) units are equipped with Altec aerials, including the manufacturer’s Jobsite Energy Management System (JEMS) integrated plug-in systems that use stored energy to power the aerial device and provide exportable power.
BGE also is looking to International to supply its new eMV Series electric model, initially in a box truck for a facility supply role. Built on the straight rail frame used in the diesel MV, the eMV offers 335-hp. performance and a 210-kWh battery pack with a range of 135 miles.
“The eMV Series with JEM systems will be one part of meeting our electrification goals,” Barnes related. “Other vehicles we’re planning to deploy include Ford Lightning pickups. Our corporate electrification program is on track to change 30% of the fleet by 2025 and 50% by 2030, and a lot of that will be driven by industry development of new electric vehicles.”
Electrified fleet vehicles are one part of BGE’s dedication to sustainability, Barnes noted. Other initiatives on what the company calls its “Path to Clean” are focused on helping customers increase energy efficiency and partnering with communities to meet environmental goals. In its own operations, BGE is modernizing and enhancing electric and natural gas systems, reducing energy use in offices and buildings, and increasing the use of renewable-powered energy.
“We’re also focused on electric vehicle charging facilities to support our growing EV fleet,” Barnes said. “BGE has already installed a solar-powered charging farm at one of its gas complexes. We have a project manager who is spearheading the development of a charging infrastructure using ChargePoint fast-charging solutions at all of our service centers.”
EV fleet development and many other issues are the focus of interaction and communication between fleet managers at all of Exelon’s electric and gas delivery subsidiaries, Barnes noted. Along with BGE, those companies include ComEd, PECO, Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power, and Pepco.
“It’s a very strong group, and I’ve learned a lot from the fleet managers at our sister companies,” Barnes stated. “I can reach out to them when I have questions. We often share information, leverage supplier relationships, and exchange best practices—along with a great team at BGE that has been very beneficial.”
