The fleet recently added two more NGV—Ford F350 pickup trucks modified to run on compressed natural gas. PECO has been using NGVs since the late 1980s and has six CNG refueling stations at its service buildings in Warminster, Plymouth, Berwyn, Phoenixville, Coatesville, and Eddystone, all of which can be used by the public with arrangements made in advance.

The NGVs will be used by PECO’s energy technicians in the Philadelphia suburbs. The vehicles cost more to buy when modified for CNG use, but the fuel costs significantly less than diesel or gasoline at 25% less per equivalent gallon, said Bill Flemming, PECO’s fleet manager and chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Coalition.

PECO also is participating in a utility group organized by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to demonstrate PHEV performance. PECO is one of 50 utilities and other fleets in the program, which was awarded the $45 million competitive stimulus grant. The company expects to buy 20 Ford F550 utility trucks that will be modified as PHEVs over the next two years. The matching stimulus grant will provide up to $2.5 million for the vehicle conversions. PECO will collect data on power consumption, fuel usage and other performance as part of the industry’s ongoing research into advanced batteries and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

With vehicles on the road 24/7, PECO’s fleet logs about 11 million miles of travel every year serving customers in the Greater Philadelphia region. The company believes its investment in alternative fueled vehicles demonstrates its commitment to reduce harmful emissions and protect the environment, said Ron Bradley, vice president, Support Services. PECO’s fleet currently includes 650 medium- and heavy-duty trucks that operate on bio-diesel fuel; 47 hybrid electric SUVs, and 16 natural gas vehicles (NGVs).

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 485,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region. PECO delivered 83.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 39.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2008.