GSA has announced that with the purchase of five more compressed natural gas-powered buses and 35 hybrid fuel buses it has fulfilled an initiative under the Recovery Act of improving the fuel economy of the federal vehicle fleet.
It had until October 2009 to invest $300 million in new, more fuel-efficient vehicles for the federal fleet. In April it first ordered 3,100 hybrid vehicles for $77 million. Then in June it invested $210 million in an additional 14,105 commercially available vehicles, including alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles, each with a higher miles-per-gallon ration than the one being replaced.
Finally GSA used the remaining $12.4 million for 40 buses and a hybrid electric car. It said the new vehicles will replace older, less-efficient models in the federal fleet and it estimates doing so will save 16.7 million gallons of fuel over the next seven years — $40 million in fuel costs — and prevent 334 million pounds of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere.
The replaced vehicles are being sold and the proceeds are to be used to continue purchasing greener vehicles.
