LimeLite CoachWorks of Santa Clara, Calif., recently added more than 13 feet to a Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, making it the world's first hybrid SUV stretch limo. It would also be the world's biggest hybrid, if it weren't for hybrid gas-electric buses and locomotives.
A few years ago, it was nearly impossible to rent a hybrid car. Now, the ability to rent a gas-electric vehicle is only limited by your willingness to plan ahead. All the major rental companies have added thousands of hybrids to their fleets in recent years, and they would like to add more to meet growing demand. Unfortunately, they are fighting for the same limited hybrid inventory that has put retail consumers on long waiting lists.
As GM learned with the EV1, nothing about electric cars is quite as simple as it may seem at first glance. As the lessons of the EV1 are still being passionately debated, a new wave of electric trucks are teaching their manufacturers some lessons as well.
In a personality shift that would make Madonna jealous, the hybrid gas-electric vehicle is being transformed from ecoweenie-mobile to lean green crime-fighting machine. Law enforcement departments across the country are considering the use of hybrid vehicles as police cruisers.
A $2.5 million dollar grant from the Florida Renewable Energy Grants Program will allow Central Florida’s public bus system, Lynx, to power its 290 diesel-powered buses on a biodiesel blend.
New York’s Mayor Bloomberg put forth a proposal that would require the city’s 10,000-plus black for-hire town cars to meet a new set of fuel efficiency standards over the next two years.
While green car enthusiasts wait for the next generation of hybrids that use different fuel sources or rely more on electricity, big cities are now placing orders for buses that combine hybrid controls, diesel engines, and electric drives. Yesterday, Daimler AG received an order for 850 of its Orion VII hybrid diesel-electric buses from MTA, the agency that oversees public transit in New York. The new order will double the MTA’s diesel hybrid bus fleet to 1,700, making it the largest in the world.
King County, Washington made the decision to “go hybrid” because hybrid vehicles mean lower CO2 emissions, greater overall fuel economy, and lower maintenance costs. But the county also conserved fuel and money, and achieved a number of other objectives that serve community and national interests.
In making the decision to convert to hybrid vehicles, the King County Fleet Division extensively researched the level of support for this initiative, and created strategic partnerships.
Be prepared. Introducing hybrids into your fleet will present its share of challenges. Your task, as you go hybrid, will be to identify the opportunities and benefits that such a move will offer; and anticipate the challenges and obstacles that you and your agency may encounter.
