The energy company serving Philadelphia with electrical power is going to use its own product to run some of its vehicles.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Peco Energy Co. is buying and modifying about 20 Ford F550 utility trucks to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The move is part of a bigger, nationwide U.S. Department of Energy pilot program:

The Philadelphia company is one of about 50 utilities participating in a consortium to demonstrate PHEV performance in 378 mid-sized trucks. The consortium, organized by the Electric Power Research Institute, was given a $45 million stimulus grant. The utilities will receive matching grants up to $2.5 million to pay for the vehicles, which will be manufactured in the next two years in Michigan and Kentucky.

The article adds Peco also has 16 natural-gas vehicles, 47 hybrid electric SUVs and 650 trucks that run on biodiesel.