Hybrids and biofuels are not just saving fuel; they are also saving NIU money.


In one year, hybrids saved NIU Transportation Services 38,000 gallons of fuel, totaling to $105,000 in savings. Throughout the NIU community, hybrids and alternative fuel cars can be seen all over campus. A hybrid vehicle – also known as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) – combines the competence of fuel engines and electronic motors.


“We have about 245 vehicles here on campus,” said Bill Finucane, manager of Transportation Services. “There are about 90 sedans, and out of that 90, 40 of them are hybrids.”


NIU Transportation Services was introduced to the hybrid model cars in 2003, when it tested two Toyota Priuses to verify efficiency and cost of the fuel economy.


“In particular, we believed that the hybrids will result to lesser cost and they are environment-friendly, which the university promotes, unlike some gasoline motors,” Finucane said.


NIU purchased nine sedans total from Toyota the next year, four of them hybrids, a move that Hugo Jacobo, junior political science major, agreed with.


“Everything looks good to me,” Jacobo said. “Its nice to see that our school is enhancing technology and keeping up with the convergence.”


But not everyone expressed enthusiasm with alternative fueling and hybrids.


“Even though, at the moment, every element concerning with biofuels and hybrids are grasping the university’s attention, currently some technology is not the most efficient,” said Don Hoffman, junior media studies major. “We will have to make the switch eventually but when it does happen, it may be the scariest thing, because that’s when prices will raise.”


Illinois state legislators ordered that all state agencies have purchase hybrids or alternative fuel for vehicles. Finucane said Transportation Services is funded by people paying to use their vehicles, and he reassured that every vehicle they purchase would be a hybrid.


NIU also uses cars that run off of alternative fuel. Diesel vehicles, both on and off-road, used a 20 percent soy biodiesel blend, and there are about 30 interchangeable vehicles that run off of this soy blend and regular diesel. More than 50 percent of the vehicles on campus can operate with alternative fuel.


“It has become harder to replace vehicles,” Finucane said. “It is now mandated that we keep the vehicles for 10 years or when they reach 100,000 miles. The Illinois public act required that sales and service operation’s vehicles should be flex fuel or hybrid, and honestly, I don’t see the university returning to traditional fuels.”

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