UPS has ordered 200 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which is the largest commercial order of suchtrucks by any company, along with another 300 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles for its US
delivery fleet. No figure for the investment was disclosed.With the purchase of the 500 additional vehicles, the UPS alternative fuel fleet, which thecompany describes as the largest private fleet of its kind in the United States already, will grow30% from 1,718 to 2,218 low-carbon vehicles.
The 200 hybrid electric vehicles will be deployed in 2009 and join 50 HEV delivery trucksalready in operation, UPS said. The 200 trucks are expected to save 176,000 gallons of fuelannually and reduce CO2 emissions by 1,786 metric tons each year. That equals removing almost 100conventional UPS trucks from the road for a year.
The HEV’s hybrid power system with a battery pack and a motor/generator allows UPS to save onfuel and pollution-causing emissions by feeding electric power into the powertrain when conditionsdemand it, providing further savings.
The HEVs also use regenerative braking, meaning the energy produced in stopping the movingvehicle is captured and returned to the battery system as electrical energy. The efficient,computer-controlled combination of clean diesel power, electric power and regenerative brakingproduces dramatic improvements in fuel savings and emissions reductions.
The 300 CNG vehicles will be deployed later this year in addition to more than 800 suchvehicles already in use in the United States. CNG vehicles run on natural gas, a cost-effective,clean-burning and readily available fuel. These vehicles are expected to yield a 20% reduction inemissions over the cleanest diesel engines available today.
“UPS has been utilising alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years and is clearly theindustry leader in hybrid electric and CNG vehicle purchases,” said Robert Hall, director of UPS’sground fleet. “At UPS, it’s very important to us to demonstrate our commitment with action, whichis why we have the largest private ‘green’ fleet in the industry. And both CNG and HEV vehiclesprovide substantial reductions in carbon emissions, which supports our commitment to reducing ourimpact on the environment.”
The CNG/HEV vehicle order follows the deployment of 167 new CNG vehicles in April 2008 and 50next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks in May 2007.
UPS’s “green fleet” operates in the United States, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexicoand the United Kingdom and includes electric, hybrid electric, CNG, liquefied natural gas andpropane-powered vehicles. The company is also continuing working with the Environmental ProtectionAgency on a hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicle.
