OXFORD, OH – The City of Oxford will soon add a hybrid car, several trucks, and a state-of-the-art van for robotically repairing water pipelines to its fleet. To replace several aging and stressed vehicles in the fleet, the city council approved the purchase of six new ones on Jan. 16 for a total of $367,910.

The city will now own its first gasoline-electric hybrid, a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid, that will be used for site inspections by planning and zoning, engineering and environmental affairs departments, as well as the city manager’s office. It will replace a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier.

In the future, the City would consider purchasing biodiesel and “flex-fuel” vehicles that can run on alcohol-based fuel manufactured from plant materials. In addition to the hybrid and four pickup trucks for the maintenance division, the council also authorized $230,000 for a 2007 Chevrolet Hi Cube Van outfitted with robotic and electrical equipment for remote pipeline repair.

The new vehicle will run a video-controlled robotic tractor through the underground pipes that can make repairs and lessens the need to dig repair trenches.