xcel
06-13-2006, 11:24 AM
Benefits include using less gasoline, getting more miles per gallon and reducing the impact on the environment. (http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/6_1_NA13_HYBRID_S1.htm)
Kathy Cichon - Naperville Sun - June 13, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Ford_Fuel_Test.jpg
Wheaton - DuPage County will soon take a new hybrid vehicle for a test drive.
A really long test drive.
On June 6, the county's Public Works Committee approved the purchase of a hybrid sport utility vehicle that will be assigned to one county employee. In the pilot program, the employee will document the maintenance costs and fuel usage for the vehicle over the next year, said Greg Wilcox, chief operations officer for DuPage.
"We'll probably do six-month reports," he said.
Hybrid vehicles combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Benefits include using less gasoline, getting more miles per gallon and reducing the impact on the environment.
But the advantages come with a higher price tag. Along with the additional $3,000 to $6,000 per vehicle, replacement batteries for hybrids can cost between $1,000 and $3,000 and are not often covered by warranties.
In March the committee delayed approval of the hybrid pilot so the county could ask the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which uses hybrids, about its experiences with the vehicles. The hope was to look at any data collected by the district that would show which stand out – the pros or cons. However, the forest district told the county there were no detailed studies on the vehicle, that it only had research on the implementation and use of alternative fuel vehicles. The county was also told the usage of these vehicles would differ greatly between the county and forest district.
Without data to review, staff recommended the purchase of one vehicle for the pilot. Wilcox said he hopes the vehicle arrives in two to three months.
"We want to get the latest technology," he said. "We know that each year they've made vast improvements because of vastly improving technology."
County Board member and Public Works Committee Chairman Thomas Bennington, R-Downers Grove, said he is "very excited" about the pilot, as the county had been wanting to get some data on the vehicles.
"The data we get will be given to the new alternative fuels committee for consideration," he said.
Last week County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, R-Naperville, appointed an ad hoc committee on alternative fuels in response to discussions on the subject in the environmental, transportation and public works committees. Along with Bennington, the alternative fuels committee includes County Board members Michael McMahon, R-Hinsdale; Pam Rion, R-Bloomingdale; James Healy, R-Naperville; Pat O'Shea, R-Lombard; and Debra Olson, R-Wheaton.
In a memo to County Board members, Schillerstrom said the committee will investigate the county's options in utilizing hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, and that he hoped the committee's work can be accomplished within 90 days.
Kathy Cichon - Naperville Sun - June 13, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Ford_Fuel_Test.jpg
Wheaton - DuPage County will soon take a new hybrid vehicle for a test drive.
A really long test drive.
On June 6, the county's Public Works Committee approved the purchase of a hybrid sport utility vehicle that will be assigned to one county employee. In the pilot program, the employee will document the maintenance costs and fuel usage for the vehicle over the next year, said Greg Wilcox, chief operations officer for DuPage.
"We'll probably do six-month reports," he said.
Hybrid vehicles combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Benefits include using less gasoline, getting more miles per gallon and reducing the impact on the environment.
But the advantages come with a higher price tag. Along with the additional $3,000 to $6,000 per vehicle, replacement batteries for hybrids can cost between $1,000 and $3,000 and are not often covered by warranties.
In March the committee delayed approval of the hybrid pilot so the county could ask the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which uses hybrids, about its experiences with the vehicles. The hope was to look at any data collected by the district that would show which stand out – the pros or cons. However, the forest district told the county there were no detailed studies on the vehicle, that it only had research on the implementation and use of alternative fuel vehicles. The county was also told the usage of these vehicles would differ greatly between the county and forest district.
Without data to review, staff recommended the purchase of one vehicle for the pilot. Wilcox said he hopes the vehicle arrives in two to three months.
"We want to get the latest technology," he said. "We know that each year they've made vast improvements because of vastly improving technology."
County Board member and Public Works Committee Chairman Thomas Bennington, R-Downers Grove, said he is "very excited" about the pilot, as the county had been wanting to get some data on the vehicles.
"The data we get will be given to the new alternative fuels committee for consideration," he said.
Last week County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, R-Naperville, appointed an ad hoc committee on alternative fuels in response to discussions on the subject in the environmental, transportation and public works committees. Along with Bennington, the alternative fuels committee includes County Board members Michael McMahon, R-Hinsdale; Pam Rion, R-Bloomingdale; James Healy, R-Naperville; Pat O'Shea, R-Lombard; and Debra Olson, R-Wheaton.
In a memo to County Board members, Schillerstrom said the committee will investigate the county's options in utilizing hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, and that he hoped the committee's work can be accomplished within 90 days.