Residents of the City of Hoover, Ala., are breathing cleaner air thanks to the addition of alternative-fuel vehicles to the city’s fleet of police vehicles. The Hoover Police Department (HPD) now operates 100 percent of its flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on E-85. The HPD operates 104 E-85 Chevrolet Tahoe police pursuit vehicles, making it the largest E-85-fueled law enforcement fleet in the nation. HPD serves the City of Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham with a population of almost 63,000. Police Department Fuels E-85 Vehicles at On-site Facility
The FFVs are fueled on-site at the Hoover Public Safety Facility, which has two dispensers with two hoses each. The facility, built in 2004 with a grant from Central Alabama Clean Cities provided by Alabama Partners for Clean Air, is available for use by other public agencies. The HPD uses approximately 24,000 gallons of E-85 a month. HPD officers carry E-85 fueling cards activated by a personal identification number. Information, such as miles between refueling and gallons of ethanol pumped, is collected with each swipe of the card. This information is then used for operational analysis. Tahoe E-85s Offer Performance & Environmental Benefits
Hoover first became interested in FFVs for its police fleet in 2004 when the Central Alabama coalition arranged for the department to demo a Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle. When considering the switch to the Chevrolet FFVs, the HPD was particularly impressed with the higher-octane levels ethanol offered. According to Dave Lindon, fleet management director of the City of Hoover, the 2005-model year Tahoes provide the fleet with multiple benefits. “We have had no fuel issues and have been very pleased with the performance and operation of the Tahoes,” he said. “It is a superb police vehicle for us.” Lindon said that the primary benefits of E-85 are cleaner air and less dependency on foreign oil. “E-85 has become our fuel of choice,” he added. HPD Officer Feedback Overwhelmingly Positive to E-85
Driver acceptance of the switch to E-85 vehicles has been remarkably high. In fact, by the time the vehicles arrived on-site last year, most officers had test-driven the demo vehicle and had received training from Lindon. “Our officers really love this vehicle,” Lindon said. “Their feedback has been very positive.” Lindon worked directly with Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos during the implementation. “Mayor Petelos continued to push the process and remain supportive of the alt-fuel program,” he said. The city’s plans to implement alt-fueled vehicles doesn’t stop with E-85. Officials are now pursuing the use of biodiesel in heavy-duty city vehicles, and they plan to convert many vehicles to flex-fuel.