 More hybrids on the way
<<Sounds of truck starting>> Narrator Says: It’s a sound you’ll be hearing less of in King County’s Fleet Division in the future, the sound of an engine that runs fully on diesel. Though the county has operated hybrid buses for more than two years, the King County Department of Transportation has taken another giant leap by forming the Northwest Hybrid Truck Consortium along with 13 other agencies to buy 10 new medium and heavy-duty hybrid trucks - with more orders to come in the future. The vehicles range from big utility trucks like this one, to a drilling truck and even a paramedic van. The purchase adds to an already green fleet of vehicles the county now uses. DOT Director Harold Taniguchi Says: Our department is perhaps the greenest transportation agency in the nation, most of our department vehicles run on a mix of the cleanest diesel fuel available, and 20 percent bio-diesel. <<Sounds of clapping>> Narrator Says: The county is also getting some help with the price tag. Hybrid vehicles of this kind cost about $40,000 more than their all-diesel counterparts. The Puget Sound Regional Council has awarded a $150,000 grant, and a the Environmental Protection Agency will chip in a quarter million. The head of the EPA, Stephen Johnson, touts the benefits of the new vehicles. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson says: As compared to conventional utility vehicles, these clean hybrid diesel trucks will produce nearly 40 percent less greenhouse gasses, as well as up to a third fewer emissions, that contribute to soot and smog. Narrator Says: Part of the reason hybrid vehicles cost more is the newness of the technology and vehicle availability, something the hybrid consortium plans to change with this order. It’s a way of taking the lead to create new and expanding markets for this cleaner, greener technology. King County Council Member Dow Constantine Says: By purchasing these trucks for public use, they also hope to make them more available to private-sector companies, and by placing these trucks into public service, the consortium agencies can also provide a testing ground to see what they can do. King County Council Member Julia Patterson Says: As the 13th largest county in the nation, we need to lead by example, we can’t proselytize to others, to the public and insist that they change their behaviors if we aren’t willing to change ours. Narrator Says: This initial fleet of hybrid trucks purchased through the consortium are scheduled to arrive beginning next summer.
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