ComEd's Fleet of Green Vehicles Ranks 7th Largest in U.S.

Second-largest among utilities; part of leadership role to cut greenhouse gas emissions

CHICAGO, Feb. 26 -- Exemplifying ComEd's commitment to responsible environmental stewardship, a new report by GreenBiz.com and Automotive Fleet Magazine has ranked ComEd's fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles as the seventh largest in the U.S.

Contained in the report "State of Green Business 2009," the list features five electric and gas utilities in the top 10. Among these utilities, only Pacific Gas & Electric operates more vehicles than ComEd that are powered by a fuel other than 100 percent gasoline. According to the list, ComEd's green fleet numbers 1,918 individual vehicles; however, the report does not include "flex-fuel" vehicles that use E85 ethanol, of which ComEd has 250 in its fleet.

Counting E85 flex-fuel vehicles, alternative-fuel vehicles represent 63 percent of ComEd's total fleet of cars and trucks. Compared to a non-green fleet, these 2,168 vehicles reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 4,200 metric tons annually. This is the equivalent of removing about 1,300 cars (or 400 bucket trucks) from the road for a full year.

"ComEd is proud to be a national leader in implementing smart business changes that promote a cleaner, more sustainable environment," said Terence Donnelly, ComEd senior vice president of Transmission & Distribution. "With a customer base spread across 11,000 square miles, transportation is critical to our business, and environmental changes start with ourselves."

                    10 Largest U.S. Alternative Fuel Fleets

                        1. Enterprise               7,000
                        2. Schwan's                 5,800
                        3. U.S. Postal Service      4,448
                        4. Waste Management         2,305
                        5. Pacific Gas & Electric   2,102
                        6. Johnson & Johnson        2,091
                        7. Commonwealth Edison      1,918*
                        8. Consolidated Edison      1,752
                        9. Ferrellgas               1,600-2,100
                       10. Florida Power & Light    1,285

  *Excludes ComEd's 250 flex-fuel vehicles
  Source: GreenBiz.com and Automotive Fleet Magazine

Most recently, ComEd added 50 new Toyota Prius hybrids to its fleet. This included 10 Priuses that were specially converted into rechargeable electric plug-in hybrids. The plug-in electric version consumes about 65 percent less fuel than a typical gasoline vehicle, and by adding these vehicles now, ComEd will be able to study their performance and effects on the electric grid prior to wide-scale consumer adoption.

  The ComEd green fleet currently comprises:
  --  1,774 trucks that use biodiesel fuel (20% soybean oil, 80% diesel)
  --  250 E85 flex-fuel vehicles that use ethanol
  --  91 hybrid Ford Escape SUVs
  --  40 Prius hybrids
  --  10 Prius Plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles (PHEV)
  --  2 biodiesel-electric hybrid bucket truck
  --  1 liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bucket truck

"ComEd has also been a leader in programs that help our customers become more energy efficient," Donnelly said. "This ranges from our Appliance Recycling Program in which we haul away and recycle old, inefficient refrigerators to our comprehensive energy efficiency programs. We are also at the forefront of developing a Smart Grid including a large scale deployment of smart meters designed to provide customers with real-time information on their energy use to assist them in making more cost-effective energy choices."

Business and residential customers can learn of these and other opportunities through the Smart Ideas program by ComEd. The program includes incentives, information, tips, and tools for customers to reduce energy costs and minimize environmental effects. For more information about Smart Ideas, visit www.ComEd.com or call 888-806-2273.

ComEd's green fleet is one of many environmental initiatives that support Exelon 2020, a comprehensive strategy announced earlier this year by Exelon, ComEd's parent company. The goal of Exelon 2020 is to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emitted by its family of companies and customers. This includes ComEd's efforts to reduce its energy consumption by 25 percent by 2012.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation , one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.