NJ Towns Increasing Purchases of Hybrids

21 February 2007

Asbury Park Press. The township of Woodbridge, NJ is about to announce the single-largest purchase of hybrid vehicles to date in Middlesex County—twelve 2006 Ford Escape hybrid vehicles are expected to be added to Woodbridge's fleet, which already has one.

Old Bridge, North Brunswick and Edison also have recently added hybrid vehicles to their fleets, and Highland Park was purchasing hybrid vehicles more than three years ago.

Deborah Kole, staff attorney for the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said there is no hard data yet on files regarding hybrid vehicle acquisitions by cities in the state, but she feels that cost-benefit economics will drive the decision-making process.

Middlesex County government is offering $500 per vehicle in grant money to its municipalities toward the purchase of hybrid vehicles through its Middlesex County Showroom of Environmental Technology program. The county also has a policy mandating that a minimum of 10% of vehicles it purchases each year be alternative-fuel or hybrids.