A couple weeks ago we told you of the tossing of the green - APD's move to run good ol' unleaded in all of their E85 vehicles (read it here). It turns out that running the corn fed fuel ruins fuel pumps at an alarming rate, even if the engines were supposed to run on the stuff.
Our Eyes have given us a little more details regarding the eco-debacle. The Ford Crown Victorias that comprise a large percentage of APD's fleet are the vehicles popping their fuel pumps. In fact, fuel pumps are failing every 2,000 miles or so.
To put that in context, the average mileage for an average driver is about 12,000 miles per year. If you owned one of the vehicles in question and decided to save the world one E85 tank at a time, you'd end up replacing your fuel pump 6 times a year - that's every couple of months!
APD vehicles can't be considered average under any circumstances. They generally receive far more mileage and run more continuously than your average mini-van, SUV, or eco-friendly hybrid. As a result, APD's mechanics are kept quite busy replacing fuel pumps. So busy in fact, that the switch to carbon spewing petrol became an absolute necessity.
You're probably thinking that there has to be some kind of warranty, right? Well there is, except that the Almighty's edict from the 11th floor ordering APD to burn the eco-fuel voided that warranty. You see, Ford requires that a tank of regular unleaded fuel be run every third tank. Running E85 all of the time apparently ruins the fuel pump and voids the warranty.
Politicians know how to manipulate fear in all of its forms for their own political gain. Marty's eco-edict to use E85 was nothing but an attempt to tap that fear and use it to advance his personal ambition. Never mind the fact that it made little sense and has ended up wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars at a time when there are precious few of them coming in to the city.
Before making radical edicts, it's a real good idea to get all of the facts. The facts in this case are that the Fords were never designed to run exclusively on E85 - just like the new trucks purchased for the K-9 units were never designed to run on bio-diesel (read it here).
When politicians like the Almighty Alcalde grandstand on public fears, they inevitably make bad decisions. In this case, Marty turned Eco-friendly into Eco-folly.
10 comments:
being green seems to cost the city and its taxpayers alot of green!
way to go mayor arrogance!
Where is the story about the true number of APD full time sworn officers now that the end of year retirements has passed? I heard that APD has only around 950 full time sworn officers. Can someone verify this? If it is true then the administration needs to apologize to the citizens for lying back in Decemeber.
It's the "my way or the highway" Smarty attitude. No research done prior or if it was it was ignored by him. He's a tyrant! When city employees tried to bring it to his attention they were basically told to shut-up or called whiners.
He's wasted a lot more money than on just the "green thing".
I love stories like this. Since I have no doubt that the miniMayor is both a grand-stander and an idiot, a story like this serves to confirm all of my other observations of him.
Now if only the voting populus would pull their collective heads out of their collective a$$es and send this clown packin' before he costs the City more money. But instead, if he runs again, he stands a good chance of getting a fourth term just because the voters are too stupid how he's ruining this City.
Credit where its due time. First of all the E85 costs more than unleaded and burns faster. Its not so green to produce either. Next...no one really knows what is causing the fuel pumps to fail...some say the E85 others cite defective pumps. There is always a problem with vehicles in a fleet breaking down especially if it involves responding to life and death calls. Lastly all of the vehicles in question are under warranty so the city has not dropped an extra dime on this rodeo...the dealers are eating the cost and still replacing the bad pumps with the same line of pumps.
Schultz knew there would be a problem and did nothing about it! He soils his pants anytime Marty calls the 5th floor looking for him!
The Chief over looked the E-85 issue????
How bout the DC Calloway issue? Yes, the little DC boasts of intergrity and doing what's right, but he was off stepping out with someone other than his wife and nothing is done about it by the chief! This chief turned a blind eye to this last term with ALL his other DC's having relationships on the side. These guys at the top sure set a bad example for the troops to follow.
Well chief or mayor, are you going to ever clean up your DC's. Look, both your two DC's MC and MC have stepped out and you do nothing about it. The whole dept knows what these guys have done and who WITH! They should be fired! Is there no shame at the top!
Deputy Chief Mike Callaway, remember there are pictures you can't lie your way out of this one!
I heard all the E85 gas was paid/provided by federal money. Is this true?
The whole dept know what those deputy chief's do. No one has any respect for them...... They need to leave, as they are giving APD a bad name!
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