UPS has announced the purchase of 12 electric vehicles following a successful nine-month trialearlier this year in order to improve its environmental performance.
Developed by British manufacturer Modec, the manufacturer of the world’s first purpose-builtzero-emission van, six of the ordered vehicles will be introduced to UPS’s UK fleet at its Camdenfacility within London’s Low Emission Zone in February 2009, including one vehicle that was usedfor testing until now. The remaining six vehicles will operate at UPS in Germany.
Managing Director of UPS UK and Ireland, Jim Barber, said: “This order represents animportant step towards making our fleet and operations more sustainable in the UK. At UPS, we havean ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, and we are continually assessing how tomake the best use of alternatively fuelled vehicles on a global level.”
During the testing course of its operations in North-West, East and Central London, thezero-emission vehicle averaged 18 miles per day and a battery consumption of 25% of full charge perday. Each zero emission vehicle can undertake one hundred miles on one overnight charge, withbatteries in future models set to increase the range to 150 miles per two-three hour charge.Because it is an electric vehicle, it requires no road tax, MOT or tachograph and is not liable forthe congestion charge.
UPS claims that it operates the transportation industry’s largest private fleet ofalternative fuel vehicles in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the USA.
