PSE&G will move 1,300-vehicle fleet to hybrids
PSE&G stands for the Public Service Electric and Gas company. They just released plans to reduce their CO2 emissions as a company by 81,000 tons in the next 10 years. They quite admirably have resolved to spend $100 million on this project.
Like any good plan, it's a multi-step process. The first part is replacing as many vehicles in their fleet as possible with hybrids, reducing both emissions and gasoline consumption. They will invest in hybrid cars and light trucks for lighter-duty tasks, which, since PSE&G supplies utilities to three quarters of the population of New Jersey, will make a big difference. To cover heavier maintenance tasks, they have already purchased and are awaiting delivery of a pair of hybrid-powered bucket trucks (the ones with the man-sized bucket on the end of a lift arm for accessing power poles). While testing these for reliability and safety, they are retrofitting 450 of their current bucket trucks to electric power. This will enable them to shut off their engine while operating the lift for roughly three hours a day that would otherwise have been spend pumping 73,000 tons of CO2 into the air, and burning 6.5 million gallons of fuel. The majority of these trucks have already been retrofitted to run on biodiesel since 2003, which has already cut CO2 emissions by 7,700 tons.
Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that, "Action cannot be focused solely on energy, if we are to make progress in combating climate change." Keep up the good work, Ralph.
[Source: PSE&G]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John Rowell 10:05PM (5/30/2007)
Kudos to PSE&G for pointing the way. Others will follow their lead.
Reply