Aug 29, 2011
UPS has entered a new contract with Electric Vehicles International of Stockton, California, to provide 100 new electric delivery trucks for the shipping giant’s fleet. The new vehicles, which will be deployed in Southern California, run for an estimated 90 miles on a single charge.
UPS has been adding alternative fuels to its fleet for a while now, employing technologies such as natural gas, electricity and propane. The latest electric acquisition cost UPS more than $100,000 dollars, but comes with over $7 million in financial incentives from the State of California and several air-quality management districts.
This deal brings more focus to electric vehicles being put to commercial use, but director of vehicle engineering for EVI, Mike Britt, says there are still issues with widespread adoption.
"The cost of these is still prohibitive," Britt said, noting that the price issue should become as production of electric vehicles and their batteries increases.
"We would like to see the batteries lighter and a lot cheaper," Britt said. "Everything else is there."
Fleets are increasingly turning to new technologies to supplant their regular vehicles and combat fuel costs and environmental issues. Is your fleet using any alternative fuels to do business? Leave a comment and let us know!
Photo courtesy of zyphbear and re-used under the Creative Commons license.