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Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc. to Convert Entire Fleet to CNG
Last Updated: September 19, 2011
Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., has heralded the arrival of its first compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet vehicle. Golden Eagle, in partnership with Ryder System, Inc. is converting its entire heavy-duty fleet in Tucson to compressed natural gas vehicles by the end of 2011. Ryder executives, including Bobby Stewart, Vice President of National Sales, presented the vehicle to Golden Eagle executives including Christopher Clements, CEO, and Kimberly Clements, President.
To support distribution operations in Tucson, AZ, Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., a Ryder full-service lease customer for 40 years, has agreed to lease 23 CNG vehicles by the end of 2011. The vehicles are part of a strategic alternative fuel program at Golden Eagle focused on reducing transportation-generated emissions and reducing fuel costs.
CNG vehicles produce 95% less particulate matter, 80% less nitrogen oxide, and provide a reduction of 23% in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to diesel engines, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. "We are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, and with diesel fuel prices continuing to rise, the timing was right to convert our Tucson fleet to natural gas vehicles," said Christopher Clements, CEO, Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc.
"We could not have implemented this project without Ryder. Ryder has been our strategic transportation partner for 40 years. We rely on their expertise when it comes to evaluating new technologies, such as alternative fuels. Ryder has helped us find an alternative fuel that is not only cleaner and better for the environment, but we also expect to see real fuel cost savings over time. Our trust from working with Ryder for 40 years ensures us that the CNG vehicles will meet the needs of our drivers and the loads we carry daily," continued Clements.
"We are proud to be such a long-standing partner and thank Golden Eagle for trusting us with their business for 40 years," said Robert Sanchez, President of Global Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder. "We are committed to continuing to provide Golden Eagle with innovative transportation solutions, such as natural gas vehicles, which not only help them achieve their sustainability goals, but also enable them to realize meaningful cost-saving and efficiency benefits."
The Tucson fleet conversion is the first part of a bigger CNG plan that Golden Eagle is embarking on over the next several years. Over time, Golden Eagle will convert all fleet vehicles to CNG in their six branch operations throughout the state. Then light-duty passenger vehicles will be changed over to CNG in each branch. To service their CNG fleet, Golden Eagle is working toward opening their own CNG fuel stations in Tucson and then at several other branch locations including Casa Grande and Buckeye. In spring 2011, Golden Eagle purchased an acre of land adjacent to its headquarters property in Tucson. That land will be used for a CNG fueling station.
Environmental awareness is part of the business plan at Golden Eagle. Golden Eagle was named Arizona's Greenest Workplace in 2010 by Mrs. Green's World, an environmental website that promotes global sustainability. GED was recognized for its recycling and energy efficiency initiatives, employee carpooling, and for its green transportation program. In 2010, Golden Eagle recycled over 4 tons of aluminum, over 62 tons of glass and over 420 cubic yards of cardboard, plastic and paper. Last year, Golden Eagle installed new lights in the Tucson warehouse that will save 656,000 kilowatts per year. Improvements last year in the HVAC controls resulted in electric usage dropping 8.7% and natural gas usage dropping 60%.
AT&T Announces Deployment of Its 4,000th Alternative-Fuel Vehicle
Last Updated: August 23, 2011
AT&T's 10-year commitment to a cleaner corporate fleet is rolling into new territory: AT&T today announced the deployment of the 4,000th alternative-fuel vehicle (AFV) in its corporate vehicle fleet - with more than 2,000 AFVs deployed in California alone. AT&T also announced that it has deployed its 3,000th compressed natural gas vehicle (CNG).
AT&T deployed its 4,000th AFV in Chicago, IL; its 3,000th CNG in Houston, TX; and the 2,000th AFV of its California fleet in San Diego. All of the milestone vehicles are Ford E250 CNG vans.
The deployments are the latest in AT&T's planned 10-year investment of up to $565 million to replace approximately 15,000 fleet vehicles with alternative-fuel models through 2018. Currently, the AT&T corporate fleet - which is part of the Department of Energy's Clean Cities' National Clean Fleets Partnership -features more than 71,500 vehicles and includes one of the largest U.S. corporate commitments to CNG vehicles to date. AT&T avoided the purchase of one million gallons of petroleum in 2010 as a result of its use of CNG vehicles.
"As the economy rises and falls with fuel prices, we have a responsibility to look for smart ways to reduce our costs," said Jerome Webber, vice president, AT&T Global Fleet Operations. "Putting 4,000 alternative-fuel vehicles on the road - including 3,000 compressed natural gas vehicles - is a significant statement about the ability of fleet operators to not only reduce costs, but also to cut vehicle emissions. Every alternative fuel vehicle on the road brings us closer to energy independence, and that's good for our company and our country."
Along with its fleet of CNG vehicles, AT&T is deploying all-electric and extended range electric vehicles in its fleet. AT&T fleets in St. Louis, Dallas and Los Angeles received the first of these vehicles. AT&T expects to make additional deployments in 2011 and 2012.
Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased approximately 8,000 CNG vehicles at an anticipated cost of $350 million. AT&T expects to invest an additional $215 million through 2018 to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.
According to a 2009 Center for Automotive Research report, AT&T's planned alternative-fuel vehicle initiative would: - Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period. - Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons - the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 38,600 passenger vehicles from the road for one year. - For more information about AT&T's sustainability efforts and to view a copy of AT&T's 2010 Sustainability Report, please visit www.att.com/csr .
Staples and Massachusetts Clean Cities Deliver on Fuel Efficiency
Last Updated: April 07, 2011
Many people know that Staples is a serious competitor in the office-product supply industry. What they may not know is that the company is also a Massachusettes Clean Cities stakeholder leading the way in reducing petroleum consumption.
With $24 billion in sales in 2009 and a fleet of 2,200 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, the movement of products is a big part of Staples' operations. And through its Staples Soul corporate accountability initiative, the company has made a commitment to transport its goods sustainably.
In 2006, Staples North American Fleet Equipment Manager Michael Payette began installing electronic speed control modules in Staples' medium-duty diesel delivery trucks. At a cost of only $7 per truck, the modules prevent the vehicles from traveling faster than 60 mph, improving their fuel economy from the industry standard 8.1 mpg to 10.1 mpg. Speed control, in combination with electronic idle reduction and driver training programs, has improved overall fuel economy in Staples' delivery fleet by 30%.
Today, all of Staples' trucks are equipped with speed control modules, and the company has saved a cumulative 2.9 million gallons of fuel and prevented the emissions of 32,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Staples' annual conventional fuel savings are approaching 1 million gallons.
At the project's start, some drivers worried the speed controls might get in the way of timely deliveries. But analysis by Staples found that driving time increased by only seven minutes per day. Furthermore, the extra time on the road was offset by less frequent trips to the fuel pump. And research by Staples' risk management department found no safety issues associated with limiting truck speed.
Staples is now working to further improve the fuel efficiency of its fleet by incorporating all-electric trucks in high-density urban delivery areas, diesel-electric hybrids in urban delivery areas, lighter composite materials in vehicle body construction, and dynamic routing software. Introduction of 53 all-electric trucks, manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles, began in November 2010.
"Over time, we'll look to increase the number of these trucks in the Staples fleet as an effective way to service our delivery customers while reducing our carbon emissions," Payette says.
Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative
Last Updated: April 04, 2011
The Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative, a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored project, is designed to get green technologies up and running in the commercial markets. Five big-name fleets will hit the roads across the country with these cutting-edge vehicles to demonstrate how hybrid electric and hybrid hydraulic technologies can make dollars and cents. Company officials say these highly efficient trucks are route ready and fully capable, citing a 20% to 60% reduction in fuel consumption, engine noise, and less greenhouses gases emitted into the air.
"Fuel economy-environmental stewardship is what this is all about-and improving the future technology of transportation mobility," according to Mark Lampert, senior vice-president, marketing, Daimler Trucks North America.
DOE Clean Cities grants subsidize the cost of the 143 trucks involved in the initiative and help create green jobs at the Freightliner factories that make them. Fuel savings are estimated at nearly 140,000 gallons a year, a positive partnership to help green up the fleet of these workforce vehicles.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Brings Hybrid Fleet to New Orleans
Last Updated: April 01, 2010
The Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co. recently introduced eight new hybrid electric delivery trucks to the streets of New Orleans. The Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership hosted a public forum to highlight the new fleet and the sustainability initiatives of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE).
"The Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership is delighted with Coca-Cola Enterprises' inclusion of fuel-efficient and emissions reducing hybrid vehicles in its New Orleans delivery fleet," said Rebecca Otte, coordinator of the partnership. "The move demonstrates Coca-Cola Enterprises' ongoing commitment to a more sustainable community and serves as a great example of a viable clean transportation option for similar fleets."
The trucks were specifically designed for effectiveness in the stop-and-go traffic common inurban areas. Regenerative braking and lithium-ion battery technologies make these vehicles 30% more fuel efficient than their diesel counterparts. They also create less noise and pollution than standard delivery vehicles, and CCE drivers report that the new vehicles handle better than the older, nonhybrid fleet.
The hybrid fleet is part of CCE's nationwide initiative to employ hybrid vehicles to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. To date, the company has deployed 327 hybrid electric delivery trucks throughout the United States and Canada, making CCE's the largest commercial hybrid fleet in North America. CCE plans to continue to incorporate hybrid vehicles into its fleets, eventually transitioning all its vehicles to cleaner, more fuel-efficient models.
FedEx Converts Delivery Trucks to Hybrids
Last Updated: August 12, 2009
FedEx Corp. has announced the addition of 92 hybrid-electric trucks to its delivery fleet--the result of converting diesel models that were originally put into service in 2000 and 2001. The converted hybrids will increase FedEx's hybrid-electric fleet to 264 vehicles, a 50% increase. This is the largest fleet of hybrid delivery trucks in North America, logging more than four million miles of revenue service and reducing fuel use by 150,000 gallons since hybrids were introduced to the fleet in 2004. "The conversion of these standard FedEx trucks into hybrids is the latest milestone in our drive to advance and adopt hybrid technology into our fleet and the broader industry," said John Formisano, vice president, Global Vehicles, FedEx Express. "FedEx and our suppliers have demonstrated that converted hybrids are a viable, lower-cost option compared to purchasing new hybrids."The hybrid conversions were developed with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and Eaton Corporation and feature a 200-horsepower 2007 Cummins ISB engine coupled with an Eaton electric motor/generator using lithium-ion batteries. The standard FedEx trucks used in the retrofit program were 2000 or 2001 models driven 300,000 to 500,000 miles. An added benefit of the conversion program is that it not only reduces pollution but also extends the life of the vehicles, helping to eliminate waste production and creating a reduce-and-reuse program.The retrofit hybrid trucks are projected to improve fuel economy by 44%, decrease particulate matter by 96%, and reduce smog-causing (NOx) emissions by 75% compared to the standard FedEx Express delivery truck. The 92 retrofitted hybrid vehicles are being placed into service in California, primarily in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco metropolitan areas.For more information, contact Alison Bird at FedEx.
UPS Adds 306 Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Fleet
Last Updated: November 13, 2007
UPS placed an order for 167 CNG delivery trucks and took delivery of 139 new propane delivery trucks for its North American delivery service. In addition, the company has launched an initiative to use biodiesel fuel in its ground support vehicles at its air hub in Louisville, Ky.UPS's worldwide AFV fleet includes 1,629 vehicles, the largest such private fleet in the transportation industry. The fleet includes CNG, LNG, propane, electric, and hybrid electric vehicles. UPS already operates 800 CNG delivery trucks in the U.S. and plans to locate the new CNG vehicles in Dallas; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Ontario, Calif.; San Ramon, Calif.; and Fresno, Calif. The propane vehicles will join the nearly 600 propane trucks already operating in Canada and Mexico. "While there's a great deal of interest in the research we're doing with new types of hybrids, 70 years of testing alternative fuel vehicles has taught us there are multiple technologies that can effectively reduce our dependence on fossil fuels as well as our carbon footprint," said Robert Hall, UPS's director of vehicle engineering. "Adding this many propane and CNG vehicles is going to have a very positive impact."The propane and CNG trucks currently in the UPS fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels. The new trucks are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use. The chassis for the CNG trucks are being purchased in two sizes from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. The trucks will feature engines from Cummins Westport that are expected to yield a 20% emissions reduction and 10% improvement in fuel economy over the cleanest diesel engines available in the market today.The new propane-powered vehicles were manufactured by Workhorse Custom Chassis and feature the latest technology in clean burning propane engines provided by Baytech Corporation. Propane vehicles emit about one-third fewer reactive organic gases than gasoline fueled vehicles. Nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions also are 20% and 60% less, respectively, than conventional vehicles.The biodiesel initiative in Louisville is being funded with the support of a $515,000 federal grant that is helping to offset some of the cost of building a fuel infrastructure at the airport. The infrastructure will provide B5, a 5% biodiesel blend, to operate 366 UPS ground support vehicles starting early in 2008.
