LAWRENCE, KS - City of Lawrence commissioners at a recent meeting were asked to apply for up to $250,000 in federal stimulus funds that would create new fueling stations for electric-hybrid cars and also allow the City and Douglas County to add four new electric vehicles to their fleet, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.

The grant proposal includes a plan for Kansas University researchers to study how electric vehicles perform in city and county fleets.

The grant would provide funding to build two electric-vehicle charging stations in public parking lots. The city and county each would purchase a Ford Escape hybrid vehicle and convert it so it runs entirely using electricity. The city also is proposing to purchase two specially equipped trash trucks that use electricity instead of diesel to run much of the trucks' hydraulics.

The grant, if awarded, would require $380,000 in matching funds from the city and $30,000 in funds from the county. Eileen Horn, the city/county sustainability coordinator, said the city and county already have set aside those amounts in their 2011 budgets for traditional vehicle purchases.

City officials expect to learn whether they've been awarded the grant by mid-September, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.