The city of Houston plans to replace a substantial portion of civilian vehicles with more fuel-efficient hybrids by 2010, Mayor Bill White announced today. "We're going to save on fuel costs and we're going to help save our air quality," White said in a statement.

The city has more than 11,000 vehicles. The hybrid initiative, at least initially, will target replacement of 3,554 nonspecialty civilian vehicles. City spokesman Frank Michel said more than half of new nonspecialty vehicles purchased over the next five years will be hybrids.