UPS invests $100m in more CNG vehicles and fuel stations
UPS plans to invest $100m in building an additional 12 compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and adding 380 new CNG tractors to its fleet. “At UPS, we own our fleet and our infrastructure. That allows us to invest for the long-term, rather than planning around near-term fluctuations in fuel pricing,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability.
“CNG is part of a broad investment in a variety of alternative fuel vehicles. Taken together, all of our alternative fuel vehicles represent 6% of the more than 100,000 UPS global fleet, and have driven a 10% annual reduction in use of conventional fuel.”
The use of natural gas reduces greenhouse gas emissions six to 11%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE).
The 12 new CNG stations will be built by TruStar Energy in Amarillo, Texas; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Columbia, S.C.; El Paso, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Kansas City, Kan.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Reno, Nev.; San Antonio, Texas; Tifton, Ga.; Trinidad, Colo., and Willow Grove, Pa.
The new CNG tractors will be manufactured by Kenworth. Agility and Quantum Fuel Systems will provide the CNG storage systems.
The new $100m investment announced yesterday (15 March) builds on the company’s existing 18 CNG fueling stations in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. UPS also operates CNG vehicles in Germany, the Netherlands and Thailand.
UPS now has one of the world’s largest “green” fleets, with more than 6,840 all-electric, hybrid electric, hydraulic hybrid, CNG, LNG, propane and light-weight fuel-saving composite body vehicles.
