WHEATON, Ill. – Wheaton’s Public Works Department has three new ways it is helping turn Wheaton green – and two of them are gators.
The City’s fleet recently replaced two gas-powered landscaping and hauling vehicles with E-Gators, which are small multi-purpose vehicles powered by electric motors. Public Works crews use the small vehicles that are like heavy duty golf carts when working in the parks, performing landscaping throughout the City, hauling small loads and other duties that don’t require the power of a larger truck.
By using the new E-Gators, Public Works crews have gone from using gas-guzzling vehicles that were high polluters to similar vehicles that create no pollution, according to Fleet Supervisor Bruce Badger. In addition to their environmental benefits, Fleet Maintenance Superintendent Morris Anderson said the electric models are cost-effective, too, because they are about the same price as their gas-powered equivalent.
This winter, the Public Works Department will also put its third new “green” addition to work: an electric-powered salt spreader. When a salt spreader in the City’s fleet needed a new engine, the Public Works Department chose one that is completely powered by electricity. This is one more way that the City is reducing emissions and reducing its carbon footprint.
Look for the new E-Gators as part of the Nov. 27 Dickens of a Christmas Holiday Parade in downtown Wheaton.
###