With hybrid vehicles making the most sense for city driving, we’ve often wondered why automakers don’t produce hybrid versions of their cargo vans, which are widely used for city deliveries. The gas-saving potential is enormous, and at least one company has seen the light. UPS has announced that it has purchased 500 alternative-fuel vehicles.
200 of those vehicles will be diesel-electric hybrids while the remaining 300 will run on compressed natural gas.
According to UPS, the switch to alternative fuel vehicles will save 176,000 gallons of fuel per year, which is roughly the equivalent to taking 100 UPS trucks off the road. Moreover, the trucks powered by compressed natural gas will reduce truck emissions by 20 percent.
UPS has also adopted a ‘no left turn rule’, which prevents trucks from just idling while waiting to make a turn — thereby reducing emissions.
While the new trucks have green intentions, they will be painted brown just like the rest of the company’s fleet.
05/14, 6:32 PM
posted by:
LaCaLover
Jeez the milk is delivered in electric “Milk Floats” in the UK and has been for decades
05/14, 6:36 PM
posted by:
SigmaHyperion
The fact that you DON’T see companies that have “enormous gas-saving potential” flocking to these technologies is a pretty big clue that perhaps they just don’t have the long-term savings that perhaps people want to believe they do. This is a company that spends $3 BILLION a year on gas — if “enormous savings” were there, they’d be all over it.
If UPS really could stand to get “enormous gas savings” they wouldn’t be dipping their toe into the water YET AGAIN. This is far from their first little foray into trying alternative-powered trucks. About the only thing they’ve really found success as far as cost-savings go is actually CNG-powered vehicles, and that’s FAR from anything new.
05/14, 6:45 PM
posted by:
C6Racer
Oh well. At least they have good intentions.
05/14, 6:53 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
I wish UPS would paint their new trucks green — their existing brown is about the ugliest color out there.
05/14, 6:59 PM
posted by:
gilby7
I agree C6. Whether it’s for marketing (there is no doubt it’ll be hyped) or for whatever reason, it’s a start. They’ll save $700,000 in fuel a year, not that much if they spend $3 billion, but it’s using less fuel and they’ll pollute much less too, which is not a bad thing at all. If FedEx and the others follow suit it can only help. There’s a huge paradigm shift coming. Just because we grew up having gas & oil and our parents and grandparents did too, doesn’t mean it’ll always be there. Philosophy 101.
05/14, 7:11 PM
posted by:
autonut
The former mayor of my little town was UPS driver. He was full of **** most of the time, so gas powered truck would suit him well.
05/14, 7:12 PM
posted by:
autonut
Corporate thinking: diesel electric utility truck does not make any engineering sense.
05/14, 7:19 PM
posted by:
F451
This article FAILS to mention that the order was placed with Daimler.
05/14, 9:33 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
I’m curious as why you think that, autonut. Aren’t commercial fleets the perfect testbed for such applications?
05/14, 10:17 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
“Doo-Doo brown” 2 live crew.
05/14, 10:42 PM
posted by:
foster1
I guess you guy’s don’t get out much. THis is not new news. This is OLD F*ing news. Left lane I am getting bored. They have been out for over 9months. And Autonut how the hell does making a diesel Hybrid not make since. Diesels burn less fuel 1 Electric super chargers to get it up to speed= Diesel burn’s less fuel. Hu sounds like a no f* brainer to me.
05/15, 9:46 AM
posted by:
xyunya
I agree with autonut on diesel hybrid being less then perfect for commercial application. Diesel has 3 advantages over gasoline engine: torque from the same displacement, efficiency because diesel fuel denser then gasoline and provide more calories for combustion and reliability due to higher levels of precision build into engine production and more robust construction to cope with higher heat to kinetic energy conversion. It is all achieved by higher cost of engine – no free lunch.
Hybrid perfectly complements 2 components involved: electric motor and gasoline engine specially adopted for this application. The gasoline motor works on 5 cycles not 4 and has very low torque, which is complemented by instantaneous torque of electric motor. Electric motor runs out of battery juice very quickly, so very lean burning gasoline engine provides cruise range and recharging opportunity.
For commercial vehicle cost and complexity are very important factors. There are 2 complex technologies in diesel hybrid not providing substantial benefit to complement each other. If M-B to install diesel hybrid into S-class it would make perfect sense: the customer will go for environmental advantage over financial and I see a large number of rich concern citizens (who do you think supplies cash for Al Gore hedge fund?). The same public also that rides S-class.
UPS can do very well with Dodge Sprinter build diesel version of original M-B van vintage 1998.
05/15, 12:06 PM
posted by:
foster1
Higher cost to build Diesel. That thought is from the fact that the domestics charge more for there diesel in turcks becuase they don’t build as many as gas motors. However MBenz makes more diesel in there company than gas. So cost is down. Less moving part’s in a diesel to. Makes better since. Do you really think that you are smart than the Germans when it comes to this. Makes alot more since. Also the way this hybrid is set up the electric motor act’s like a super or trubo charger to help it get up to speed. And becasue it is a Diesel It get’s better highway MPG than Gas. So you get the in city MPG.(prius) But the Highay as well(common in Diesel.)