Secret Service rejects Obama's request to convert presidential limo into hybrid vehicle

Washington, Apr. 3 (ANI): President Barack Obama has revealed that Secret Service has rejected his request to convert his presidential limousine into a hybrid vehicle due to security reasons.

"I asked can we make these cars hybrids Secret Service said no. Now, the reason is not because Secret Service are bad guys. It's because the cars that I'm in are like tanks," ABC News quoted Obama, as saying at a town hall in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday.

Obama clarified that since his limo - nicknamed "the beast" - is reinforced for security reasons, and weighs over two times the normal weight of cars, "they just couldn't get the performance in terms of acceleration using a hybrid engine."

Recently, the Obama administration announced that it has purchased more than 5,000 hybrid cars and trucks as part of the federal fleet of vehicles.

"Government purchases an awful lot of cars for all kinds of things, you know we're...I think we're the biggest...I'm assuming we're the biggest car purchaser. Maybe, maybe Hertz is bigger, I don't know. But we're big," Obama.

"So we are using our purchasing power to help encourage the clean car industry," he added. (ANI)