Westwood was the first town in the East Coast and the second in the U.S. to use hybrid vehicles for their police department.
Last October, the town instituted the ‘08 Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle to its police force. The town reported that the first mileage was reported at 20 mpg, which helped the department save 14 gallons of gas in a 12-hour shift! Back then, when gas was $2.40 a gallon, $33.60 was saved per shift, $67.20 per day, $403.20 per week and $20,996.50 per year!
- There are 566 municipalities in the State of New Jersey with over 550 Police Departments in the state.
- If each department purchased one hybrid and averaged 20 miles per gallon with that vehicle based on $2.40 per gallon, the taxpayers of New Jersey would save $11,000,000.
- There would also be a dramatic reduction in hydrocarbon emissions into New Jersey’s air.
- The other benefits are less respiratory illnesses such as asthma; bluer skies; cleaner water; and less noise. (hybrids make no noise when running on their battery power.)
And even though it is an SUV, it is still eco-friendly.
Stats courtesy of http://www.njslom.org.
