SAN ANTONIO — More than one million electric cars were sold in the US through the end of 2018. CPS Energy is hopping on board by gradually shifting their vehicles to electric to save money.
CPS energy has 3,500 vehicles on the road, and now, the company has started going electric.
Harold Lambert, a journeyman mechanic with CPS Energy said, "We recently purchased 34, in 2018, hybrid F150 pick up trucks. This year we purchased 10 non-plug-in hybrids and 15 more plug-in hybrids."
"Not only will these vehicles cut down on emissions improving air quality in San Antonio, but because they have better fuel economy, the cost in the long term will be cut down, so it's a win-win for the community," Lambert added. "We are able to put all the systems on our vehicles and still maintain the factory warranty and then have the hybrid capabilities."
They even charge as they go, using a system called regenerative braking during deceleration to charge the battery pack, which is underneath the vehicle.
When the truck is accelerating, power comes from the battery through an inverter, allowing the electric motor to assist with the acceleration. When a driver uses the brake, power comes back from the electric, returning it to the battery.
For the past several years, CPS Energy has been awarded a spot in the top 100 Fleets organization, which rate public fleets of vehicles nationwide. "In the past two years the utility has been in the top 25 out of over 3,400 public fleets in the country!"
Brian Weatherly, the Senior Manager of Fleet told us, "Not only are we helping maintain our vehicles for our coworkers who are on the streets, but it's also showing our community and our customers that we are innovating, we are finding ways to add value to the company, so we are getting more bang for our dollar."
They've added public charging stations too. Richard Medina, the Vice President of Grid Transformation and Engineering said, "CPS energy has 40 stations that are open to the public. They are level two charging stations. And we are excited that we had our first fast DC charging station here on the northwest side of town so you can use any of those."
To find the nearest charging station, head to the CPS Energy website.
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