In a partnership with Agility Fuel Solutions, UPS has announced plans to add a whopping 6,000 natural gas trucks to its fleet.
The three-year commitment will begin in 2020 and run through 2022. The new vehicles will be equipped with compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel systems provided under an exclusive agreement with Agility, a business of Hexagon Composites.
Agility will provide end-to-end solutions for heavy-duty gas trucks, terminal tractors and medium-duty walk-in vans (i.e., UPS’ familiar brown delivery trucks). These solutions will include on-board CNG fuel storage and management, as well as Agility’s natural gas engine fuel systems. Since 2016, the company has provided natural gas fuel storage and delivery systems to more than 1,700 UPS trucks.
“We are proud to continue our collaboration with UPS, a front-runner in clean transportation,” says Seung Baik, president of Agility Fuel Solutions. “With our range of proven and reliable clean fuel technologies and aftermarket support capabilities, we will assist UPS in reaching its sustainability targets.”
UPS notes that the CNG fleet expansion provides additional capacity for expanding the use of renewable natural gas (RNG). Vehicles equipped with CNG fuel systems can interchangeably use RNG and conventional natural gas. Produced from landfills, dairy farms and other bio sources, RNG yields up to a 90% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions when compared to conventional diesel. As of October, UPS has agreed to purchase 230 million gallon equivalents of RNG over the next seven years, making it the largest consumer of RNG in the transportation industry, UPS claims.
“UPS continues to expand and improve our smart logistics network by implementing new technologies and creating a highly flexible, data-driven and sustainable network,” comments Juan Perez, chief information and engineering officer at UPS. “That is why we intend for 25 percent of our vehicles purchased in 2020 to run on alternative fuels.”
Over the past decade, UPS has invested more than $1 billion in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fueling stations to help meet its target of reducing absolute GHG emissions by 12% across its global ground operations by 2025. UPS has continued its relationship with TruStar Energy to design, manufacture and install five new CNG fueling stations in Lathrop, Visalia and Moreno Valley, Calif.; Houston; and Cleveland. UPS will deploy the new CNG vehicles on routes to use the new CNG stations, as well as add to existing natural gas fleets in other UPS locations. By the end of 2019, UPS will be operating 61 natural gas fueling stations strategically located across the U.S. and in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Tamworth, England.
