Fayette County's three new trucks look like any other Ford Ranger, but they don't sound the same.

That's because there's no engine, at least not in the conventional sense.

The new Rangers, delivered to the county this week are powered entirely by electric batteries. And by taking delivery, Fayette became the first county in the state to have electric vehicles, said fleet maintenance director Bill Lackey.

Cleaner air is the goal as more and more businesses and governments add electric cars and trucks to their fleets. The Atlanta Regional Commission is pushing local governments to switch to alternative fuels to reduce toxic emissions and improve the Atlanta region's air quality, which currently doesn't meet federal standards.

Although producing electric power and manufacturing the vehicles' huge batteries does create some pollution, it's less than 1 percent of that produced by gasoline vehicles, according to a Georgia Power Company spokesman.

Fayette took advantage of a state grant to get the pickup trucks for about $14,000 each, the regular price for similar gas-powered trucks. At retail, they sell for about $34,000, plus about $5,000 for each battery charger.

"It's not practical for everybody," said Lackey, "but with the average driving we're going to do with them, they're going to work out real well."

Lackey used a demonstration model for about two months before recommending that the county buy the electric vehicles. The truck gave him an average of 50 to 70 miles on a charge, he said.

Mileage, he said, "depends on how you drive the vehicle and what accessories you use."

Some types of electric vehicles currently on the market get up to 140 miles on a charge, and industry researchers are constantly working to improve that., said Lackey. Eventually, as more public places start installing chargers and demand brings prices down, electric vehicles will be practical for many individuals, Lackey predicted.

For some, they may be practical already. "Ford Motor Company has a leasing program, three years at $349 a month, and you just turn it in at the end of the lease. Not a bad deal," he said.

Meanwhile, for Fayette's purposes, 50 miles per charge should work out fine, he said.

One of the three trucks will be used by his department to pick up parts and run other errands, said Lackey. The maintenance department will use another to check on job sites, and the third will go to the information systems department, which will use it to drive to different county facilities and maintain computers.