ATLANTA --- UPS said it has ordered 200 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and another 300 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles for its U.S. delivery fleet.
The purchase of the 500 additional vehicles means the UPS alternative fuel fleet -- already the largest such private fleet in the United States -- will grow 30 percent -- from 1,718 to 2,218 low-carbon vehicles.
"Alternative fuel research and development is just one of the ways that UPS is mitigating climate change risks," said Bob Stoffel, UPS's corporate sustainability officer. "We also are focused on aggressive conservation programs and improving network efficiency to cut fuel use."
UPS's green fleet operates in the United States, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom and has traveled nearly 144 million miles since 2000. The fleet includes electric, hybrid electric, CNG, liquefied natural gas and propane-powered vehicles. The company also is continuing work with the Environmental Protection Agency on a hydraulic hybrid delivery vehicle.
"UPS has been utilizing alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years and is clearly the industry leader in hybrid electric and CNG vehicle purchases," said Robert Hall, director of UPS's ground fleet.
