CNG trucks have been deployed over the past month to Denver (140) and to four cities in California: San Ramon (18), Fresno (16), West Los Angeles (59) and Ontario (12). The company said that the vehicles are part of its continued effort to reduce emissions from the use of fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel and lower its carbon footprint. UPS began deploying alternative fuel vehicles in the 1930s with a fleet of electric trucks that operated in New York City.
Bob Stoffel, senior vice president of supply chain, strategy, engineering and sustainability at UPS, said: ”The greening of our fleet demonstrates the effectiveness of harnessing multiple technologies and applying the right vehicles to areas where they will provide the best advantage. Compressed Natural Gas continues to be a sustainable technology for UPS’s fleet because natural gas is cost effective, clean-burning and abundant.”
UPS, a member of the EPA Climate Leaders, first deployed CNG-powered delivery trucks in the 1980s. At the time, UPS purchased traditional gas- or diesel-driven vehicles and converted them to run on compressed gas. The 245 trucks deployed over the past month were built from scratch as CNG vehicles.
The CNG truck bodies are identical externally to the signature-brown trucks that comprise the UPS fleet. Marked with decals as CNG vehicles, the trucks are expected to yield a 15% emissions reduction over the clean diesel engines available in the market, claimed the company.
For its alternative fuel fleet, UPS has deployed CNG, liquefied natural gas, propane, electric and hybrid electric vehicles in the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Brazil, Chile, Korea and the UK.
