News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  Nov. 15, 2006

King County among first in nation to order hybrid trucks

Creates regional consortium to buy even more

 Click here to watch a video of the announcement

Already known for its expanding use of cutting-edge hybrid buses and cars, King County will soon be adding big hybrid trucks to its fleet of vehicles.

The King County Fleet Administration Division is heading up a consortium of local and state government agencies interested in taking hybrid vehicle technology to the next level with the production of medium and heavy-duty work trucks that use less fuel and produce fewer harmful emissions.

“I am committed to ensuring King County and the region will take the lead in pioneering this new technology which is critical to meeting our future energy and environmental needs,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.

Led by King County, last year 14 fleet departments in the state formed the Northwest Hybrid Truck Consortium. The members include: King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties; the cities of Bellevue, Renton, Tacoma, Seattle, Kent, Richland, Bremerton, and Everett; Seattle Public Utilities and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. They have joined together to open the market for hybrid diesel-electric truck purchases, and will also serve as a testing ground to provide on-the-road experience, data collection, and analysis of the new trucks.

The consortium also partners with WestStart-CALSTART, an advanced transportation technologies organization working on a hybrid truck commercialization strategy in conjunction with the U.S. Army. WestStart- CALSTART is the agency that handles the hybrid truck orders nationwide for the Hybrid Truck User Forum.

“Our Northwest Hybrid Truck Consortium will help accelerate the production of hybrid trucks not only for government use, but also for the mainstream market,” said Windell Mitchell, the director of the county’s Fleet Division.

King County has placed an order for two hybrid lift trucks that will be used to maintain traffic signals and streetlights. Other members of the consortium have ordered a drilling truck, a paramedic truck, general utility trucks, and flatbeds that can haul other vehicles or cranes. All together, consortium members have placed an initial order for 9 trucks and one still to come.

The purchases will be funded with the help of a $250,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and another $150,000 grant recently awarded by the Puget Sound Regional Council. At this point, the hybrid trucks cost approximately $40,000 more than regular diesel trucks, but consortium members expect prices to drop as more orders are placed.

“The long-term outcome of this project is to improve air quality, create less dependence on fossil fuels, and make hybrid trucks more affordable for both public and private use,” said Mitchell.

Although the initial costs are higher for the first orders, Mitchell said he expects that the hybrid trucks will be cheaper to operate because they use less diesel. And, because the trucks run on both diesel and electric, the diesel motors will last longer and require less maintenance.

Under the leadership of Sims, the King County Department of Transportation has become one of the greenest transportation agencies in the nation. Vehicles throughout the department run on a mix of the cleanest diesel fuel available and 20-percent biodiesel. In addition to the purchase of hybrid trucks, the Fleet Division has also led the way for the use of hybrid passenger vehicles in government motor pools. King County Metro Transit already has more than 215 hybrid buses serving its transit passengers. And, the Road Services Division and Fleet use biodegradable or re-refined lubricants on all heavy equipment vehicles.

All combine to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the region.