The Salt Lake City Police Department is going green with new black and white hybrid patrol cars.

Police Chief Chris Burbank and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker introduced one of the new energy-saving Toyota Camrys on Monday as snow fell outside the City-County Building.

The police department will buy four or five of the hybrid cars this year, along with 45 gasoline-powered vehicles. The purchase is part of the department's policy to replace 20 percent of its fleet each year.

"I'm very pleased," Burbank said of the hybrid's new look. "We really wanted it to be a car that screams police, and the black and white does that very well."

Each new hybrid will cost the city $23,084, or about $4,000 more than a gas-fueled car. But the hybrids average 33 to 34 miles per gallon compared to the gas vehicles, which get only 23 to 26 miles per gallon.

Burbank said he is hoping the difference in fuel cost will help decrease the $1.5 million the department already spends each year for gas, as well as save jobs during a weakening economy.

"That's really my interest," he said.

Decker said buying the hybrids is also part of the city's commitment to "invest heavily" in converting the city's fleet of cars to energy-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Of the police department's 450 vehicles, 12 are hybrids. About 235 of the department's vehicles are used as patrol cars, police spokeswoman Lara Jones said. The new black and white design and its logos, which cost about $600 to install, will be incorporated on future hybrids and other new cars purchased annually by the department.

The police department also unveiled Monday a three-wheeled electric vehicle, similar to a Segway, that police officers will drive standing up. They will be used along Jordan Parkway, parade routes, at city parks and public events.

The electric vehicles, which travel between 5 and 25 mph, will complement bike and motorcycle patrols. The department purchased two for $8,988 each. The operation cost is about 10 cents per day, Jones said. The upright vehicles can make tight turns and climb up and down curbs.