Town's fleet becomes greener with new Toyota Prius

Mayor Marolyn Morrison gets behind the wheel of the Town of Caledon's new Toyota Prius Hybrid, which has joined the Town's fleet as a replacement vehicle. On hand for the event were (l to r) Marta Jurewicz, product department; Paul Loach, Chris Loach, Paul Coffey from Bolton Toyota; Town of Caledon staff Mark Sraga, director of building and bylaw enforcement; Sara Peckford, environmental progress officer, and Glenn Blakely, manager of bylaw enforcement. Below what part of the dash displays the Prius.

The Town of Caledon is proud to announce that a hybrid car has joined its fleet of service vehicles. Hybrid vehicles are fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly - features that uphold the Town's commitment to promoting environmental responsibility and awareness.

"The Town's acquisition of this new vehicle supports the recommendation in our Environmental Progress Action Plan to convert fleet vehicles to hybrids or natural gas," said Mayor Marolyn Morrison. "We continually

strive to be an environmentally proactive municipal leader."

The environmentally friendly Toyota Prius Hybrid is the first vehicle of its kind to be used for Town business. Significant cost savings will be realized by the Town due to the fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle. As a "full hybrid," it operates in three distinct modes - gas only, electric motor only, or a combination of the two. The car will be shared between the building and bylaw enforcement department's two parking control officers.

The powertrain of the Prius is controlled by a sophisticated energy-splitting device that allows the gas engine and zero-emissions electric motor to work independently or together.

At startup or low speeds, when the energy demand is low, Prius is powered by the electric motor. As speed increases, the gas engine kicks in, which also generates electricity to power the electric motor and charge the battery.

During acceleration, the gas engine receives additional power from the electric motor, improving performance, saving fuel and reducing emissions.

When slowing down or braking, the Prius's regenerative braking system uses kinetic energy to produce

electricity and recharge the battery. This results in 90% fewer emissions than conventional cars.