Jefferson County, Denver, has just introduced their new hybrid snow plow, an all new application for hybrid engines. The hybrid snow plow is a modified 2009 International Model 7300 Hybrid truck they purchased for $162,240.
Jefferson County Unveils First-Ever Hybrid Snow Plow - Denver Traffic News Story - KMGH Denver
The hybrid truck cost about $20,000 more than a non-hybrid model. Jefferson County estimates that the difference will be recouped after 90,000 miles. Jefferson County will use this winter to evaluate the performance of the truck before deciding to add more to its fleet. The County already has 11 other hybrid vehicles.If the cost difference can be made up in just 90,000 miles, that's fantastic. Other hybrid vehicles (buses come to mind), have had initial problems with adopting the technology. So, I'll be happy to see what happens in the future with this.
It's amazing what a difference going from 5 mpg to 8-10 mpg can make. That's why buses, dump trucks and other municipal vehicles are always touted when they make the switch to hybrid engines over gas or just diesel engines. The problem is always initial cost, however.
Hybrid buses cost a lot more than their diesel only counterparts, making it very hard to make up the cost difference. But at a premium of just $20K, Jefferson County may have just made a big leap forward for hybrid vehicles.
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