OU's vehicle fleet going green

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma's vehicle fleet has turned to alternative fuels.

The fleet consists of 24 vehicles including buses that fill up on compressed natural gas and 23 vehicles that run on ethanol. There are 42 electrical vehicles and more are on the way.

"Every vehicle that we're purchasing now, we're requiring that it be an alternative fuel vehicle, that it be able to use E85, bio-diesel, run on compressed natural gas or be a small electric vehicle," Leon Fourcade, a worker for OU Fleet Services said.

Next month, OU will open its new fleet station. The station will provide vehicle maintenance, vehicle washing, and vehicle fill-up.

"We run ethanol here. We run unleaded fuel here, bio-diesel, diesel, and compressed natural gas here at the University of Oklahoma," Darrell McClure of OU Fleet Services said.

But with four compressed natural gas islands, the trend is clear.

"Our goal is to use more alternative fuels, and of course to help our environment here on campus and in the Norman area," Fourcade said.

For OU, the way to go is clean and green. They said the switch to alternative fuels is paying off in cost savings.