Currently, Texas has 26,000 vehicles in its public fleets- including university fleets. The state purchases 3-4 thousand cars/ year.Our fleet's  fuel costs in FY08 were $61 million.H.B. 629 requires all vehicles purchased by state agencies must be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle when it is cost-effective to do so. The statute only applies if an agency determines that the cost of the hybrid vehicle is less than the cost of a similar non-hybrid vehicles over a five year period. The bill would not compromise the quality of vehicles purchased by the state.  The requirement would only be applicable to vehicles that are comparable in size and ability. 

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to significantly reduce oil consumption and consequently save fuels costs for consumers and businesses; reduce air pollution; and decrease dependence on imported oil. Plug-In Hybrids are outfitted with a battery pack sufficient to power the vehicle for 35 miles or more on battery power alone. The plug-in is recharged by plugging into a standard electrical outlet.  The cost of an “electric” gallon of gas is estimated to be less than $1.00.  A plug-in vehicle could get up to 100 miles per gallon of gasoline. 

A 2002 EPRI study indicated that if 25% of Americans drove PHEVs by 2025, there would be an $88 billion net annual economic benefit. This would include a $26 billion decrease in the U.S. trade deficit, $7.5 billion saved due to "oil disruptions" that lead to increased gasoline costs, plus the projected creation of over 400,000 jobs.

 HB 629 represents a state-level effort to join cities around the country who are committing to purchasing hybrid-electric vehicles. The City of Austin and Austin Energy are leading Plug-In Partners, a national campaign to demonstrate to automakers that a market exists today for plug-in hybrids. A pledge from the state of Texas would strengthen the expressed demand for (and encourage the production of) these vehicles, and help make them affordable for average consumers.

The bill promotes cost effective government in addition to good environmental stewardship. State government should not only work to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars, it should also be a good steward of energy and the environment.  This bill allows state government to do both, and provides a model for local government, businesses and individual consumers to follow.

Hybrid Technologies will help Texas with its non-attainment/ air quality concerns. Currently Dallas- Ft. Worth, Houston and Port Arthur-Beaumont areas are all in non-attainment status, and other communities like Austin, San Antonio and Longview are at risk of losing their attainment status. On-road mobile sources are responsible for approximately half of the NOx emissions in non-attainment cities. 

The EPA is implementing a more stringent ground-level ozone standards to go into effect within a couple of years, further complicating Texas efforts to be attainment-compliant.  Mobile sources (on-road and off-road vehicle engines) have been linked to short-term and long-term negative health effects in young children, elderly and people with asthma, heart and lung disease. 

By converting vehicle fleets to plugin-hybrids, vehicle pollution will be easier to manage at a central point such as the stacks of power plants rather than from millions of vehicle tail pipes. Many power plants today are being modified to lower emissions and a number of older plants are being retired.  Wind-generated power, solar and other forms of renewable energy are pollution free and are becoming more available.  Net metering and consumer-produced, small-scale renewable energy also hold promise for providing overnight charging of PHEVs with environmentally friendly energy.