The U.S.' leading beverage companies have increased the fuel economy of their fleets by nearly 13% since 2010, according to the American Beverage Association (ABA).
The findings are the first to emerge from a collaborative sustainability initiative in which The Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group agreed to share proprietary data on their truck fleets with the ABA.
According to the association, the U.S. beverage industry has the largest fleet of fuel-efficient heavy-duty hybrid commercial vehicles in North America and has increased fuel economy industry-wide by 3% per year since at least 2010. This represents a 12.6% increase in fuel efficiency projected through the end of this year.
‘America's beverage industry is committed to sharing new ideas and business practices that will advance the development of technologies to lower its carbon footprint and make for a cleaner, more sustainable world,’ says Susan Neely, ABA president and CEO. ‘When it comes to environmental sustainability, the beverage industry is united and continuing to lead.’
The ABA says other highlights from the initiative include the following:
– Alternative fuels and advanced technologies (e.g., hybrid, all-electric, propane, compressed natural gas, and liquefied natural gas) currently power more than 1,700 industry vehicles.
– More than 250 service vehicles have been converted to hybrid power train systems that are 20% more fuel efficient.
– Zero-emission, all-electric refrigerated trucks and 150 all-electric vehicles have been added to the fleets.
