by jbs041210 f3 — April 14, 2010—The United Postal Service of America (UPS) announced April 6 that its fleet of 2,000 alternative-fuel vehicles had expanded with the deployment of 200 next-generation hybrid-electric delivery trucks in eight U.S. cities. UPS notes that this technology can yield a 35 percent fuel savings, the equivalent of 100 conventional UPS delivery vehicles.
The 200 new hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use and have been deployed in Austin; Houston; Philadelphia; Chicago; Washington, DC; Long Island; Minneapolis and Louisville. Before this latest deployment, UPS was operating 50 hybrid electrics in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.
The 200 new HEV delivery trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 176,000 gallons over the course of a year compared to an equivalent number of traditional diesel trucks. The hybrids also should reduce by 1,786 metric tons the amount of CO2 gases released annually into the atmosphere.
The new hybrid power system utilizes a conventional diesel engine combined with a battery pack, saving fuel and reducing pollution-causing emissions. The small diesel is used to recharge the battery pack and to add power when necessary. The HEVs also use regenerative braking: the energy generated from applying the brakes is captured and returned to the battery as electricity.
For more information, see the UPS Web site.
