Ford Escape Hybrid SUVs Delivers Positive Results on Los Angeles Beaches

Public beaches need well-equipped lifeguards, and with 72 miles of coastline and more than 58 million people visiting Los Angeles beaches every year, LA County lifeguards need all the help they can get. For the past year, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service has utilized a 45-vehicle fleet of 4WD-equipped Ford Escape Hybrids to patrol the sandy terrain and save lives, as well as to conserve fuel and protect the air quality. The Los Angeles area is not exactly renowned for its sparkling air quality, but thanks to the fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids and their PZEV ratings, the LA County Lifeguard Service has been able to reduce its fleet's emission by approximately 97,500 pounds of CO2 during the first half year of service.

Conserving fuel today is as important as ever, especially in the state of California. With public services receiving budget cuts across the board, it has been critical for the Lifeguard Service to reduce fuel consumption. With the 4WD-equipped Ford Escape Hybrid offering fuel ratings of 29 city/27 highway, LA lifeguards have been able to reduce their fleet's fuel usage by 25 percent for a total savings of more than 5000 gallons of gas during the first six months of service. The fuel savings are even more impressive in that the fleet has done more driving due to a 20 percent increase in visitors compared with the previous year.

Other vehicles in the LA County Lifeguard Service's fleet are two Ford F-250s, six Ford F-350s, other specialized vehicles.

Source: Ford Motor Company