FedEx Establishes First All-Hybrid Facility in NYC
Posted in Energy Industry | Hybrid Cars | Transportation
Now the prestigious and successful business units are competing to become green in their operations. FedEx Express which is a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation expressed its commitment to purchase 51 extra gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles from Azure Dynamics Corporation. Scott Harrison, CEO of Azure Dynamics says, “We applaud FedEx for its continuous effort to conserve resources and minimize its environmental impact and we are delighted that FedEx has again chosen to use Azure’s Balance Hybrid Electric gasoline drive train.”
In Bronx, New York, FedEx will run its business using hybrid delivery vans. This move will add up the FedEx’s hybrid and hybrid electric fleet to a total of 325 vehicles. The delivery of hybrid trucks is scheduled in the months of November and December, 2009. Bronx, New York will be the first place of FedEx to run its business utilizing only hybrid vehicles totaling to 100 trucks.
John Formisano, who is the vice president of Global Vehicles, FedEx Express, affirms his commitment of going green, “Even during a challenging fiscal year, FedEx has continued to make investments in hybrid electric and electric vehicles a priority because of the long-term value in vehicle technologies that reduce fuel costs and pollution. FedEx now operates seven different hybrid or electric truck models around the globe, demonstrating that commercial delivery vans can reduce pollution and increase efficiency without any sacrifice in performance and durability.”
Azure gasoline-electric step-vans are equipped with its electric-launch assist, engine-off at idle, and regenerative braking. All these features will assist the FedEx for rough halt-and-move situations of the traffic of any busiest metro city in the world. The icing on the cake is FedEx will reap the benefits in the form of fuel efficiency improvement around 30% and at the same time FedEx will also trim down its carbon footprint.
Mitch Jackson, director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, FedEx Corp applauds this move, “The tough driving and delivery conditions of New York City, mainly the stop-and-go-traffic, is an ideal environment to prove that efficient and cleaner transportation technologies are a viable alternative to conventionally equipped trucks. FedEx continues to advance clean truck technology, and is pleased that our ongoing leadership enhances the industry’s interest and development of hybrid commercial vehicles.”
FedEx is already running twenty Azure Balance Hybrid Electric gasoline step-vans in California. Till now FedEx green record consists of 274 hybrid electric and electric vehicles around the globe, and 1,780 alternative fuel vehicles and equipment. The FedEx hybrid fleet has registered more than four million miles of revenue service since its inception in 2004. They have reduced their fuel usage by 150,000 gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by 1,521 metric tons.
Earlier also FedEx showed its commitment to clean and green energy by converting 92 existing trucks to hybrid-electrics in its delivery fleet. Their next green move was in the form of standard FedEx delivery trucks embedded to hybrid-electric systems. Again they went for the release of ten new state-of-the-art electric commercial vehicles for use in the Great Britain. The FedEx electric vehicles will save around 11 tons of CO2 a year compared to a similar-weight diesel vehicle.
