Michigan Tech Fleet Services Goes Green
There’s a new watchword at Fleet Services these days: hybrid.
“Our goal,” says Pete Pelissero, manager, “is to go totally hybrid—one vehicle at
a time.”
Pelissero has just replaced four SUVs used by regional admissions representatives
with Ford Escapes, which, at 34 miles per gallon, are ranked seventh among hybrid
vehicles for fuel economy. That makes them nearly 50 percent more efficient than the
old vehicles, which got 23 mpg. Each hybrid costs $5,000 more than its gas-operated
counterpart. “We’ll make up the difference in 12 to 24 months,” Pelissero says
.
He has also purchased one Ford Fusion for general rental. It also is a hybrid, gets
41 mpg, and is rated second among hybrid vehicles for fuel economy.
Besides being lean on gas, all of these vehicles are quieter, Pelissero says.
These are not plug-in vehicles; rather, they are “dual-powered”—part-gas, part-electric.
They employ what the industry calls “regenerative braking”—a system that captures
the energy of braking and sends it to the battery pack for continual recharging. The
batteries run the vehicles up to 40 miles per hour; then, when more power is needed,
the gas component kicks in.
Fleet Services has 70 vehicles, from golf carts to dump trucks. To keep his vehicles
running, Pelissero uses 5,000 gallons of unleaded fuel every three months.
According to Andrew McKenzie, of Green Campus Enterprise, Fleet Services contributes
a mere 0.8 percent of the University’s carbon footprint. Even so, says John Rovano,
director of facilities management, the initiative is a small but important step in
the University’s progress in going green. “In time, all the little efforts will amount
to a big accomplishment,” he says.
Pelissero just returned from a trade conference in Chicago, which was meant to guide
fleet managers to “green their fleets and save some green.”
He learned that the city of Milwaukee uses all biodiesel fuel for its snow removal.
“We’re going to look at, too,” Pelissero says. He uses diesel fuel at a clip of 300
gallons a month in the summer, 10 times that in the winter because of snow removal.
At the moment, though, the delivery of biofuels in this area is uncertain.
Meanwhile, he says, the hybrid SUVs are “rugged and efficient.” “We want to save money
and protect the environment,” he concludes. “The University wants to be a leader by
example for going green.”
Typically, Fleet Services purchases 10 vehicles per year. Pelissero anticipates replacing
the five remaining admissions vehicles with hybrids within one year. His target is
to switch all 32 of his SUVs and sedans to hybrids within five years.
One thing Pelissero won’t do—cut back on his courtesy for clients. He’ll continue
to have the cars warmed up and ready to go in the winter.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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