Clean & Green -State adds fuel-efficient electric-gasoline hybrid engine automobiles to its motor fleet.

Less time at the pump, fewer expenses, lower emissions: Long story short — the new Toyota Prius is a model of efficiency, going
farther on less and doing it in style.

By MARTIN J. KIDSTON, IR Staff Writer

In 1997, Toyota combined a gasoline engine with an electric motor to create the clean-burning, fuel-efficient Prius. Three weeks
ago, two of the hybrid sedans made their way into the state motor pool’s fleet of 800 vehicles. Now, if the four-door automobile
proves as durable as the Ford Taurus and as comfortable as the Chevy Lumina, its numbers in the fleet could grow.

“I believe the cars will save us money,” said Bob Lubick, manager of the state motor pool. “Most of our sedans average 26 to 30
miles per gallon. The Prius is a bit pricier, but we feel that we’ll get that back in gas savings alone.”

The Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid gas-electric vehicle, is priced at $19,995. But the car averages 45-mpg highway
and 52-mpg city — an average achieved by using electricity in place of gasoline under certain driving conditions.

According to Toyota, the Prius has a 1.5-liter engine and an electrical system comprised of 38 individual battery modules. Boosting
the system’s efficiency, the car is fitted with a special braking system. When applied, the brakes turn the motor into a generator to
capture kinetic energy. That energy is then transferred back as usable energy to the batteries.
The batteries, Toyota says, are built to last the lifetime of the vehicle. They never need to be recharged from an external source.
There’s no plugging in to futuristic “electricity” stations, no costly battery replacements and no running out of “juice.”

“What the cars have is a regular gas engine and an electric motor,” Lubick said. “As the vehicle is moving down the road,
depending on the load, it will turn off the gas engine and run on electricity.”
The car exceeds California’s Super Ultra Low Emissions standards — the toughest emissions law in the nation. The Prius also runs
strong, packing enough punch to keep up with Interstate traffic.

“Our main concern was if they’d have enough power to pull the passes in Montana,” Lubick said. “They do that very well. You have
the cruise control set at 75 and they make the pass just fine.
“If this pilot program works out well and people are pleased, I would say that we’d add more of these type of vehicles to the fleet.”
Other cities have already converted to energy-saving vehicles. New York City purchased 231 Priuses for use by municipal agencies,
and Denver bought 39 cars for use by its public works and fire departments.

As a member of the Western State’s Equipment Managers Association, Jim Richman, equipment bureau chief for the Department
of Transportation, heard good things about the cars and wanted to give them a try.
“Several Western states had already tried them and were getting 46 to 50 mpg,” Richman said. “That’s what intrigued me. That’s
why I wanted to try them for our motor pool.”

Richman said the car’s ease on the environment was also a draw. So far, he said, the state motor pool has received good reviews
from its customers.
“It sounds like there’s other manufacturers with other vehicles coming out,” Richman said. “I think that’s something coming in the
real near future, these hybrid vehicles.”

In 2004, General Motors and Ford plan to produce hybrid trucks. Chrysler will reportedly introduce a hybrid version of the Durango
and Ram in 2003, according to one Toyota Web site.
Lubick, an employee at the motor pool for 22 years, said he never doubted that alternative transportation would make its way to
Montana.

“I knew that sooner or later we’d find it,” Lubick said. “I just didn’t think I’d be here that long.”
The two new cars were ordered out of Washington and delivered through Helena Motors, according to Lubick.

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or by e-mail at [email protected].

http://helenair.com/headline/1A1.html