UPS has purchased 125 new-technology hybrid-electric delivery trucks, which will offer significantly reduced fuel consumption – up to four times the fuel economy of a gas-powered vehicle and a 10 to 15 percent improvement over previous hybrid designs.
The new trucks are scheduled to be deployed in the U.S. states of Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida in the first half of 2016. The hybrid vehicles will cost UPS slightly more than a truck with a conventional engine, but the company’s commitment to sustainability influenced the decision. The trucks are being built by Workhorse Group, Inc., a Cincinnati-based company that manufactures electric drive systems for commercial trucks and can also equip them with hybrid-electric engines.
“These trucks are designed specifically to meet the stop-and-start needs of UPS’s urban delivery routes,” said Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse Group Inc. “They rely on a very small internal-combustion engine and lithium-ion battery to deliver a 50- to 60-mile-per-day range.”
UPS, with its suppliers, continues to work toward development of the next-generation, “zero emission” trucks. UPS is collaborating with Workhorse to develop a more intelligent electric vehicle to determine when and where the batteries will be charged and re-charged.