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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Ogden police adding hybrid vehicles to fleet
By Scott SchwebkeOGDEN --
At first blush, the small white sport utility vehicle assigned to Ogden police Sgt. Art Weloth looks like any other patrol car.
It has the obligatory siren, a light bar on the roof, and a laptop computer inside. But within its cargo bay beats the heart of this lean, green, environmentally friendly machine.
It is there that a nickel-metal-hydride battery is stored that helps run the Ford Escape, one of four hybrids purchased by the police department to save money and reduce air pollution.
The electric motor propels the Escape up to 25 mph on its own, but when additional power is needed, such as during acceleration or passing, it combines with the gasoline engine for maximum performance.
The key is a regenerative braking system that recharges the battery, allowing the vehicle to use no fuel when stopped in traffic or driving at low speeds.
In a conventional automobile, when brakes are applied, energy is lost. However, during braking in the Escape, the electric motor captures energy normally lost and sends it back to the battery pack.
Whenever the brakes are applied, the heat energy recharges the battery pack, so there is no need to plug it in.
The Escape can reach speeds of 102 mph and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about 10 seconds. The end result is 155 horsepower with V-6-like acceleration. Weloth said he is "pleasantly surprised" by the performance.
The Escape's combination of gas and electric power seems to be a good fit for the police department's patrol division, Richard Brookins, the city's fleet manager, said in a written news release.
"We currently spend $176 weekly to fuel a traditional patrol vehicle, and because much of that vehicle's time is spent at low speeds through the city streets or at idle, reducing those costs and increasing efficiency was certainly a concern," he said. "I just had no idea it would make this much of a difference. It not only burns less fuel but it helps us keep the air cleaner in Ogden."
Brookins said it's too early to tell what weekly fuel costs will be for the Escape, but according to Ford, the hybrid has a range of 500 miles per tank of gas and gets up to 36 miles per gallon. By comparison, Ford Crown Victoria patrol vehicles, being used by the department, get about 13 mpg, he said.
If the hybrids prove to be effective, more may be purchased for the department as part of an aggressive plan to clean up Ogden's air, Mayor Matthew Godfrey said. "It all relates to Ogden becoming the high-adventure recreation capital," he said. "We have to have air that reflects that."
Last winter, Weber County had 17 red-air alert days, which means the use of coal and wood-burning stoves is prohibited, according to the Utah Division of Air Quality. That number of red-air alerts was the most since the winter of 2003 when nine were recorded, according to the agency. Salt Lake County had 21 red-alert days last winter.
Ogden is willing to pay the price to reduce air pollution and is spending $653 a month to buy 750 blocks of renewable energy through Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program.
A lot of money isn't required from individuals and communities to make a difference in encouraging more sustainable energy use, said Jeff Hymas, a spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power.
In fiscal year 2006, the city spent about $1.5 million for electricity, said John Arrington, the city's finance manager.
Other municipalities enrolled in the program include Salt Lake City, Park City, and Moab. Locally, Autoliv Inc. and Staker & Parsons Co. also participate.
The program allows residential customers to buy as many 100 kilowatt-hour Blue Sky blocks as they like for $1.95 a month each, in addition to their regular electric bill.
Ogden is being charged 87 cents per block because it's enrolled in the quantity savings option that allows municipalities and businesses to receive reduced rates for large purchases, Hymas said.
Revenue from Blue Sky block purchases is used by Rocky Mountain Power to obtain additional renewable energy, such as wind power, to meet customer demand.
The 900,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy purchased by Ogden will offset 19 percent of the municipality's annual electricity use derived from less-environmentally friendly sources such as coal-fired power plants, Hymas said.
"The city is buying enough renewable energy each month to supplant 19 percent of its electricity use," he said. "That amount of renewable energy is going on the regional power grid to offset energy that would otherwise come from nonrenewable sources."
Ogden's purchase of 750 Blue Sky blocks per month is equal to 75,000 kilowatt-hours per month, Hymas said. That's the same amount of electricity that is used by about 125 average Ogden households each month, he said.
Over a year's time, the purchase is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 900 tons from the region's overall environment, based on Rocky Mountain Power calculations, Hymas said.
The environmental benefit is similar to planting 354 acres of trees, he said.
In addition to the Blue Sky program, a 13-member Sustainable Ogden Committee, dubbed the "green team" by Godfrey, is planning other initiatives to improve Ogden's air quality.
Starting June 22, the committee will sponsor "Fresh Air Friday," when commuters will be encouraged to use alternative forms of transportation such as biking or walking.
The city also plans to acquire a fleet of bikes that would be parked at strategic locations downtown.
Individuals would be able to use the bikes free of charge for a few hours or an entire day and would then drop them off at strategically located hubs so others can ride them.
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