UPS has announced it is launching 18 new electric-powered, zero-emission Workhorse E-100 delivery vehicles in the Houston-Galveston area in Texas. The truck purchases are the result of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), local governments and non-profits. UPS says these vehicles, designed and built specifically by Ohio-based Workhorse Group for the “stop and go” needs of a UPS delivery truck, will avoid the consumption of an estimated 1.1 million gallons of diesel fuel over 20 years.
The initiative adds to UPS’ ongoing “Rolling Laboratory” program, under which the company already operates a fleet of more than 6,430 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles worldwide – including over 570 electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.
The DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory provided a grant toward the electric vehicles as part of an ongoing effort to improve air quality in the Houston-Galveston area. The region is currently designated as a National Ambient Air Quality Non-Attainment Area, a region where air pollution levels persistently exceed national air quality standards. Grants offset research and development costs necessary to design and build these prototype vehicles, with the goal being to further the development and eventually lower the cost of low- or zero-emission commercial vehicles.
“Our goal is to deploy vehicles with the least environmental impact possible in each region, consistent with local regulations and economic conditions,” states Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability. “Support from the DOE, local governments and the non-profit Center for Transportation and the Environment help us to accomplish this goal. We will continue to identify opportunities to drive innovation in our fleet and the marketplace.”
Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse Group, comments, “The Workhorse E-100 was designed and built to meet UPS’ daily duty cycle, with a range of up to 70 miles a day. This UPS truck is designed from the ground up for local parcel delivery in high-density, urban settings. We are honored to work with UPS on these vehicles.”
Delivery of the new Workhorse vehicles began last month and will continue throughout the fall.
