Willow Glen Resident
News
San Jose wants to pump up its fleet of eco-friendly cars
By Eli Segall
San Jose is going for the green.
The city wants to replace its aging fleet of government cars and trucks with hybrid, electric and biodiesel vehicles. City officials outlined their plan for more environmentally friendly equipment to the city council's transportation and environment committee May 21.
City staff did not make a formal purchase request, but the committee agreed to a "soft" order--a commitment in principle only--of 10 plug-in electric-hybrid vehicles.
Currently, 34 percent of the city's 2,700 vehicles are "green," according to recent figures. City officials want to increase the percentage, but have not determined how high. The replacement push confirms San Jose's long-standing commitment to environmental protection, said fleet division manager Don Beams.
"We've been involved in alternative fuels since the early 1980s," Beams said.
One example, he noted, is the five fully electric cars leased in the mid-1990s that got 80 miles per gallon.
"This was not mandated on us; it's something we felt strongly about," he said.
Minimizing pollution is not cheap, Beams said. The Ford Escape, for example, costs $18,000 for the base model; the hybrid option is an extra $5,000.
The city wants to procure nine electric pick-up trucks but needs grant funding to cover the costs, he said.
Despite the hurdles, San Jose's green efforts have already impressed one environmental agency.
"Those are the kind of steps that need to be taken," said Karen Schkolnick, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, after learning of the city's plans.
Cars and trucks are the largest contributors to pollution in the Bay Area, and a greater green fleet in San Jose would help mitigate that, Schkolnick said.
The region in general has good air, but some pockets are worse than others, according to BAAQMD figures. Neighborhoods that straddle airports and freeways have high pollution levels, and in the wintertime, Santa Clara County's air quality drops due to residential wood burnings, Schkolnick said.
The current green fleet in San Jose is made up of 927 cars, trucks, mini-carts, forklifts, steamrollers and other mobile equipment. There are 45 bi-fuel vehicles that can be operated by either traditional fossil fuel or compressed natural gas, which is used for water heaters; 55 compressed natural gas only vehicles; 5 hybrids such as the Toyota Prius; 132 electric vehicles; 17 liquid petroleum or propane-powered vehicles; and 673 bio-diesel machines powered by fuel made of 5 percent soybean and 95 diesel gas.
