LOVELAND, CO — The City of Loveland, Colo., has retrofitted two 2012 Ford E-450 passenger shuttle buses with hydraulic hybrid systems. The City plans to put them into service in December and January. The vehicles will also be retrofitted with displays that show passengers how the vehicle saves fuel.

According to Lightning Hybrids, the company providing the hydraulic hybrid systems, the City expects to save between $15,000 and $25,000 per vehicle in fuel and brake costs over a five-year period. The company added that the system improves fuel economy by up to 40%.

“I research a lot of new vehicle technologies and ideas and I am a skeptic,” said Steve Kibler, fleet manager for the City of Loveland’s Public Works department. “However, I believe in technology that captures inertia and turns into reusable energy. Hydraulic hybrids are sustainable.”