VENTURA : Sheriff’s Dept. Trying Out Dual-Fuel Car

The light blue Crown Victoria that Sheriff Larry Carpenter drove last week didn’t look like the beginning of a new era for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

But that’s what county officials and environmental advocates say it could represent.

The 1996 Crown Victoria, loaned to the Sheriff’s Department by Ford Motor Co., runs on compressed natural gas, an environmentally friendly fuel that the sheriff plans to introduce to his fleet.

“It’s quiet. It starts easy. It idles smooth,” Carpenter said Thursday.

The Sheriff’s Department is converting a new patrol car to run with dual fuel capability. The car would primarily use compressed natural gas--a variation on the same energy source that fuels stoves and heating systems around the county--but switch to unleaded gasoline during high-speed chases or other demanding maneuvers.

“We’d like to run this one for a few months. Over the period of a year, you might see several” test vehicles, Carpenter said. “Once it gets out into the light of day and we’re actually using it in a patrol situation, we’ll see.”

Bi-fuel cars, like the new patrol car, are currently used by a number of law enforcement agencies, including the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which owns more than 75, said Ken Smokoska, president of the Ventura County Clean Air Transportation Coalition.

“We have tried so many schemes to clean the atmosphere,” said county Supervisor John K. Flynn. “Of all the products in the air, 60% are emitted by automobiles or motor vehicles.”

He added that if the patrol car works well, the county will consider expanding the number of dual fuel cars in its fleet.

Converting a patrol car to run on both fuels costs about $4,000, Smokoska said. Buying a vehicle manufactured to use compressed natural gas also costs $4,000 more than the same car using traditional fuels.

However, the higher price tag may be covered by fuel cost savings, because natural gas costs about 88 cents a gallon, he added. There are four service stations in Ventura County that sell the environmentally friendly fuel, which is stored in pressurized canisters in the car’s trunk.

Flynn said that he did not have any problems with compressed natural gas while driving a Honda Accord loaned to him by the Southern California Gas Co.

“I noticed that it went just as fast,” he said. “But I did not break any speed limits.”