Polkonline.com
February 23, 2005
Hybrid cars on way for Polk's fleet
BARTOW - Polk County's gas guzzling days could be numbered.
Beginning in mid-March - if they're delivered on time - the county will begin testing five hybrid Ford Escapes in its vehicle fleet.
Although that's just a very small part of the 2,100 automobiles in Polk County's fleet, said Fleet Management Director Bob Stanton, "we need to test something like this to see if it's going to work."
The county actually ordered them last May, but Ford had to supply them to states with bad air quality first. The retail price on the cars is at least $26,500, but Stanton said he's not sure how much the county will be charged for each, since counties typically get a government discount.
"The county doesn't have any alternative fuel program to speak of at all," Stanton said. "One of the (county commission's) objectives is to improve quality of life, and one of the ways we could do that is to improve air quality."
Hybrid cars, the fuel-efficient automobiles that combine electric motors with gasoline-powered engines, are slowing increasing in popularity in the United States.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that advocates environmental responsibility, there were around 80,000 hybrid cars and trucks sold last year in the U.S.
Rich Hayes, spokesman for the UCS, said it's a good thing when a government mixes hybrid cars in with their fleet.
"They're putting their cars where their mouths are," Hayes said.
Although many major automobile makers are planning to or have released hybrid cars, there are only a few on the market: Honda Accord, Civic, and Insight; Toyota Prius; and the Ford Escape.
Lexus, Dodge, General Motors Corp., Nissan and Mercury are all expected to release their hybrid vehicles this year and in 2007.
Ford had a limited run of the Escapes in 2004 - producing just 3,000 to 4,000 of the SUVs - and only 20,000 were expected to be put out this year.
Polk County isn't the only government in Florida putting the new, environmentally-friendly autos on the road.
Broward, Alachua, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Pasco, Sarasota and Palm Beach counties all have or are getting hybrid vehicles.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has already put 50 such cars into use, and Miami-Dade is getting 206 hybrid cars, according to information compiled by the Center for a New American Dream, which advocates responsible consuming of natural resources.
Data on how many hybrid cars have been sold in Polk County to private residents was not available.
Stanton said one of the Escapes will likely end up in the county's motor pool - making it available for certain employees to check out for use as it's needed - but most will be put in "high mileage" rotation, possibly used by the code enforcement or building divisions.
That way the county will see how well the autos perform under daily usage, Stanton said, and staff can gauge the maintenance and fuel savings.
Ford is promising that the Escapes will get around 38 miles per gallon on the highway and 31 in the city. Other cost savings should come with oil changes every 10,000 miles, long-life brakes and lengthy warranties, Stanton said.
"It's really an experiment for us," he said.
Stanton's also making sure that when the Escapes hit the streets, residents know they're hybrids.
"We're going to wrap them in a distinctive way away from the rest of the fleet so the public can see them," Stanton explained. "We feel like the citizens need to see that we are testing new technology this way. We think this will generate interest from the public as well."