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Boca Raton Police Force Using Hybrid Cars January 2005The Boca Raton City Council tonight will approve the purchase of four hybrid cars for the city police department, making Boca a relative latecomer to the energy-conserving trend now sweeping Florida.The council, piggybacking the purchase onto a Florida state contract, is buying the four 2005 Toyota Prius vehicles for $86,060 from Alan Jay Chevrolet in Sebring. The cars will be used to transport assistant chiefs and captains. We wanted to take a proactive approach to rising fuel costs and lessen the impact on the environment, Mayor Steven Abrams said Monday. Two of the hybrid cars are new additions to the citys fleet and two are replacement vehicles for conventional Chevrolets that the city is retiring. Boca Raton is a relative latecomer to the electric car trend, which started when hybrids came on the market in 2001 in 2002. I think were right where we want to be, said Deputy Mayor Bill Hager. Government should be at the leading edge, but never at the bleeding edge. Our goal is not to be trendy, but responsible, and it looks like the hybrids are responsible. Hybrid automobiles save energy and money by running on a combination of gasoline and electricity. The only models currently available are the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic. The Prius is the most efficient, getting about 60 miles to the gallon when driven in town and 50 miles per gallon on the highway. I think its a great idea, a real positive step forward, Councilwoman Susan Haynie said. I know the city of Coconut Creek is very environmentally conscious and has had electric vehicles for awhile. Chris Wilson, Toyotas government fleet sales manager for Florida, said the company had sold nearly 300 hybrids more than half of those in Dade County in the last three years prior to the Boca deal. Theyre definitely catching on with municipalities and individuals, Wilson said. The Toyota Prius has become a status symbol in Hollywood because its so environmentally sound. But the Prius is not fast enough for patrol car duty, Wilson added. You wont see hybrids pulling people over on COPS, but youll see them being used for serving papers and for port security patrols. Its not a pursuit vehicle, although its definitely used by law enforcement. SOURCE: BocaNews.com | ||
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