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Fleet Research and Development

We are using vehicles more efficiently through biofuels, hybrid vehicles and commuting programs.

Hybrid Truck with a crane in the back - Alabama Power Company

Hybrid Trucks

Along with providing fuel savings up to 50 percent, hybrids produce fewer emissions and are quieter than conventional vehicles. We continue to find ways to incorporate hybrid technology into our fleet and are researching a variety of electric transportation and advanced battery vehicles. Learn more about our electric transportation program.

Agricultural landscape. Green field of soy with blue sky and clouds.

Biofuels

Each year, Alabama Power vehicles use about 500,000 gallons of biofuel. Using a soybean-based renewable fuel – called B20 – allows our vehicles to have fewer emissions than conventional petroleum fuels with a product made from one of Alabama’s top cash crops. Because this fuel is not readily available at gas stations, we use on-site fueling stations for most of our bucket trucks.

Fleet of Alabama Power Utility Trucks on a street

Idle Reduction

An idling engine can use a gallon of fuel per hour and produces 20 times the emissions of one traveling 32 miles an hour. To reduce these impacts, we have configured our fleet of diesel vehicles to automatically shut-off after idling five minutes, unless the vehicle’s bucket equipment is in use. This strategy saves thousands of petroleum gallons per year as well as engine wear.