Environmental Services
Alternative Fuels Fleet
Arlington 's fleet of trucks and cars is going greener!
| ||
 | ||
| ||
 |
Over 57 percent of our fleet of 1,148 vehicles now relies on fuels that are cleaner, improve air quality, and reduce reliance on foreign sources of petroleum products. We continue to increase the numbers as part of our ongoing commitments to preserving and enhancing the environment for anyone who lives, works or plays in Arlington and to being a good partner with the rest of the region by doing our share to improve air quality. In the fleet -
- 472 large trucks and school buses are fueled by bio-diesel,
- 148 cars and small SUVs are gas-electric hybrids, and
- 37 ART buses use compressed natural gas (CNG).
The Details:
- Bio-diesel: Bio-diesel is a blend of refined soybean fuel oil, a renewable fuel, and ultra low sulfer diesel. The blend ranges from B-5 (5% bio content) to B-20 (20% bio content). The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) both consider this an alternative fuel, and all of the diesel engine manufacturers have approved it as an automotive fuel. The use of bio-diesel has greatly reduced the emission of black soot, called particulate matter, from our exhausts.
- Gas-Electric Hybrids : These cars and SUVs rely on rechargeable batteries to run the car when the gasoline engine is not needed. As cars and small SUVs age and are ready for replacement, we assess whether needs could be met through a hybrid rather than a gasoline-powered vehicle.
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) : CNG is the same gas we use in our homes for heating and cooking. It must be compressed for storage in a vehicle, and the vehicles must be designed to use CNG. Both DOE and EPA consider CNG an alternative fuel. CNG is the cleanest burning automotive fuel and is currently being used in our ART buses.
