More Than a Third of PECO's SUV Fleet Now Hybrid

PHILADELPHIA, April 5 -- PECO is continuing its commitment to promoting environmentally friendly technology with the addition this week of 15 new Ford Escape Hybrids to the utility's vehicle fleet.

This brings PECO's total number of Ford Escape Hybrids to 41, which is more than 40 percent of its overall SUV fleet. Supervisors and technical inspectors throughout PECO's service territory will use the vehicles.

The combination gasoline and electric Ford Escapes operate in electric- only mode when the vehicles travel at low speeds or idle at a stop. As a result, the hybrid Escapes provide a significant improvement in city/highway fuel economy when compared to the conventional Escape SUVs.

PECO first added Ford Escape Hybrids to its fleet last year and those vehicles experienced about a 10-mile-per-gallon improvement in fuel economy, compared to the utility's conventional SUVs.

"We continue to experience cost-effective, reliable performance from the Ford Escape Hybrids," said Bill Flemming, PECO project manager, fleet maintenance. "The vehicles also support our commitment to the environment because they run cleaner."

PECO and its parent company, Exelon, have a strong record of using alternative-fueled vehicles that reduce the consumption of gasoline. Reducing the use of gasoline lessens the country's dependence on foreign oil and decreases the emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. The company's commitment to hybrid vehicles is one of the elements of Exelon's greenhouse gas reduction program. Exelon has established a voluntary goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent from 2001 levels by the end of 2008.

In the area of compressed natural gas (CNG), PECO Energy for many years has operated light duty vehicles capable of operating on CNG, and maintains a public access refueling infrastructure in the Philadelphia region. CNG is one of the cleanest of the fossil fuels.

Plans are in place to convert PECO's diesel transportation fuel to 20 percent biodiesel by the end of 2006.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation . PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 470,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2005, the company delivered 38.7 million megawatt-hours (Mwh) of electricity and 85.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas to residential, business and institutional customers. PECO's energy delivery services generated $4.91 billion in revenue for Exelon. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations.