Already committed to being a leader in renewable energy, Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) now is focusing on ways to improve its environmental impact from its fleet of trucks.

In late 2009, APS implemented a new standard of replacing its fleet vehicles with hybrid variations where economically applicable. Over the next 10 years, the company's transportation department plans to add more than 250 hybrid trucks to its fleet.

Hybrid trucks have been shown to decrease fuel consumption by up to 50 percent due primarily to reduced idling time while the truck is working. Instead of leaving the trucks running to power equipment needed on the job site, the new hybrids will use batteries to power both the on-board equipment and the bucket. In addition to reducing fuel costs and decreasing emissions, hybrid trucks offer reduced maintenance requirements and longer engine life.

"The APS transportation department has been working on ways to lessen our impact on the environment for decades," said Jerry Olinski, APS Transportation Services Department Leader. "In addition to adding new hybrid trucks to our fleet, we also use other sustainable actions in our operations as well - such as BioDiesel, extended oil drains and non-toxic solvents."

Since 1999, the company's diesel vehicles have been fueled by B20 BioDiesel - a blend of diesel and 20 percent oils, such as waste vegetable oil. In addition, about 90 percent of the antifreeze used by APS technicians is recycled, resulting in a reduction of more than 1,500 gallons of coolant used in the company's fleet over the past decade.

Committed to more than just its own environmental impact, APS is a member of the Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance. This alliance promotes the development and improvement of industry standards and plans to develop supply chain practices that focus on environmental stewardship and also provide value for customers and shareholders.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.