MSU’s drive to save natural resources and promote an environmentally-friendly campus is hitting the road - in hybrid cars.
The Department of Transportation Services purchased a Toyota Prius and a Honda Insight that run on both electricity and gasoline in March. MSU is adding two more Priuses to its fleet in January.
Julia Burke, who works for the department, said she wanted to get a Prius of her own after she drove the hybrid car.
“It is fun because it is different,” the elementary education senior said. “(The department) likes to push this car because it saves gas. We have over 400 cars in our fleet, so we use tons of gas.”
Burke said some faculty and staff request the Prius every time they come in while others are tentative to try it.
“It is a really light car, people are scared it will blow away,” she said. “Some people don’t like it because it has so many gadgets.”
The four-door automatic features a computerlike display screen in its dash that keeps the driver aware of how charged the battery is and what gas mileage the car is getting.
Keith Nyquist, manager of Transportation Services, said the hybrid cars use their electric power when fuel is used most inefficiently, like when starting from a stop.
When the cars draw from their battery, they make no engine noise. The battery charges while they run on gasoline, so they don’t need to be plugged in.
“We have the cars to explore alternative sources of energy for fuel,” Nyquist said. “We are interested in maintaining the environment and keeping the air clearer around the campus - if this works here, it could have benefits on a large scale.”
Nyquist said the Prius gets 45 to 60 miles per gallon and the Insight can get as much as 70 miles per gallon on the highway.
The department is looking to purchase American-made hybrid cars when they become available in 2003.
The Purchasing Department has checked out the Insight for a long-term lease.
“It has great fuel efficiency and it is a nice way to promote that MSU is looking for ways to be energy conscious,” Purchasing Director Pamela George said.
She said the two-door stick shift works well for moving student employees around campus and on longer trips to Detroit and Cadillac.
But Terry Link, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, said the hybrid cars may not be popular because major automotive companies don’t advertise them as much as sport utility vehicles.
“We need to create a market for these cars if we want manufactures to make them,” he said.
MSU is not the only institution seeking alternative fuel vehicles. The University of Michigan currently has six electric Ford Ranger trucks.
“Our director has been interested in alternative fuel vehicles, and this was the first one we could buy,” said Renee Jordan, an administrative associate at U-M Parking and Transportation Services.
Jordan said U-M hasn’t purchased any hybrid vehicles, in part, because U-M only buys from American automakers. She said, however, U-M is interested in buying Ford’s Think electric cars when they become available.
Kristan Tetens, an MSU spokeswoman who has been promoting the energy conservation campaign, said the cars set an example for the rest of the university.
“MSU is committed to offering environmentally friendly options to MSU travels and these cars are a good start,” she said. “It is one of the many things we are looking at to be more environmentally responsible.”
