Fleet Roundup: DHL, Ryder, Kia, Stagecoach, More

by | Apr 1, 2011

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Here’s a round-up of the latest environmental fleet news.

DHL is introducing 30 electric vans and 50 hybrid trucks to its Manhattan fleet in an initiative that it says will cut CO2 emissions by over 50 percent, compared to traditional vans and trucks. The vehicles should all hit the streets by September 2011.

Both types of vehicles will be manufactured in the U.S. by Azure Dynamics and will use Ford chassis. DHL’s existing Ford E450s will be converted into hybrids, improving fuel economy by up to 40 percent while reducing emissions by about 30 percent, DHL said.

The project is part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group’s global GoGreen strategy, which aims to improve the company’s worldwide carbon efficiency by 30 percent by 2020, compared to 2007 base levels. In the second quarter of 2011, DHL will also launch the GoGreen carbon neutral shipping service in the U.S. The company already offers the service in 30 other countries.

Stagecoach, one of the U.K.’s biggest bus operators, has announced that it will install a high-tech eco-driving system on 6,500 buses in Scotland, England and Wales, the Guardian reports. The system uses a dashboard system to provide drivers with real-time feedback of their driving, based on speed handling, cornering, land handling, braking and acceleration.

The data is transmitted back to managers via the GreenRoad servers and website, and the data determines which drivers receive “green points”, which give them shares in an annual bonus pot worth up to £900,000 ($1.4 million).

Kia this week unveiled its third electric vehicle design in a year. The newest concept car, called the Naimo, has a driving range of 124 miles on a single charge, enhanced by low-drag 20-inch diameter alloy wheels, Green Car Congress reports.

More cross-border cooperation between the United States, Canada and Mexico is needed immediately to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the continent’s freight system, according to a new report (pdf). The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which was set up as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) projected that emissions from freight trucks will increase by 20 percent by 2030, while those from light-duty vehicles will drop by 12 percent.

Ryder System, Inc., the commercial transport and supply chain management company, has ordered 202 heavy-duty natural gas vehicles as part of a rental and leasing agreement with the San Bernadino Associated Governments (SANBAG) in California. Ryder will begin taking delivery of the vehicles in April, and expects to have the full order integrated into its fleet by September.

Ryder will also begin work this month to upgrade three existing maintenance facilities to be equipped for the indoor servicing of natural gas vehicles, and will soon start construction on two natural gas fueling stations.

The SANBAG project is being conducted in partnership with the Southern California Association of Governments’ Clean Cities Coalition, which aims to increase the use of domestically produced alternative fuels and reduce emissions in the region.

The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority (MTTA) has awarded Clean Energy Fuels Corp. a contract to design, build, operate and maintain a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station to support the agency’s growing fleet of CNG-powered buses and paratransit vehicles. The authority is aiming to replace 100 percent of its diesel-powered fleet with CNG models, and expects to add 50 CNG vehicles this year.

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