Moses Lake experimenting with hybrid cars

Two vehicles purchased for use by police, city

MOSES LAKE — The rising price of gasoline has everyone looking in their pocketbook for spare change, but the City of Moses Lake has hopes the purchase of two new vehicles will put a dent in those costs.

City officials are currently awaiting the arrival of two Toyota Prius sedans for use by City Hall and the Moses Lake Police Department, part of an experiment to see if the electric/gas vehicles can work as a viable alternative to their internal combustion counterparts.

"We're looking forward to getting them and trying to use them," said Moses Lake City Manager Joe Gavinski.

Gavinski said he expects the hybrid cars to be in use by the city in the next few days, and said they are becoming the vehicle of choice for municipal governments around the state. Because of fuel prices rising the way they are, Gavinski said the cars should work out great for both city and out of town trips city officials have to make.

"When I first looked at it myself," Gavinski said, "I think they're just as versatile in town as out of town."

Toyota lists the mileage of the standard Prius at 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 on the highway. Gavinski said as gas prices have continued their rise, the city has been subject to the same gasoline costs as everyone else.

The two vehicles will cost the city approximately $47,000, and Gavinski said the fuel efficiency over the vehicles' lives will save the city tens of thousands of dollars. Gavinski has purchased the cars, and the Moses Lake City Council unanimously supported the decision at their meeting earlier this week. Gavinski said he sees the cars as environmentally friendly, and as a method of saving people money in the process.

One of those two cars will be used by MLPD officers as an investigations vehicle, and Chief Dean Mitchell said the department also plans to use them for out-of-town travel.

Mitchell said the small size and power of the Prius precludes the them from being used as patrol vehicles.

Traditionally, Mitchell said investigations officers are given older patrol cars, so he called the Prius a step up as they replace vehicles with high odometer readings. To get them ready for use, Mitchell said the department just needs to equip the car with a radio.

The cars are of a variety that Mitchell said all public agencies are going to have to look at eventually.

"For what we're going to use it for it will be ideal," he said.