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Showing posts with label compressed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compressed. Show all posts

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Post from Dept. of Energy Blog

Veolia and Johnson Controls Get the Job Done with Clean, Fuel Efficient Fleets

March 9, 2012 


With their presence in almost every neighborhood and community, refuse trucks, like the one shown above, can benefit from alternative fuels and advanced technology. | Photo courtesy of Veolia Environmental Services. With their presence in almost every neighborhood and community, refuse trucks, like the one shown above, can benefit from alternative fuels and advanced technology. | Photo courtesy of Veolia Environmental Services.
With a total of 18 members that run more than a million vehicles across the country, the National Clean Fleets Partnership addresses a wide variety of transportation needs.  The program, part of the Vehicle Technologies Program’s Clean Cities initiative, works to help partners reduce their vehicle fleet’s petroleum use, whether they use telecommunications repair vans or soda delivery trucks.  With Secretary Chu’s announcement on Monday of the Partnership’s expansion, this is the second of two posts highlighting our four new members.

Veolia Environmental Services

With their presence in almost every neighborhood and community, refuse trucks can benefit from alternative fuels and advanced technology, which this National Partner knows well.  The Solid Waste division of Veolia Environmental Services maintains a fleet of more than 3,000 trucks, heavy equipment, and support vehicles that service both households and businesses. The company is dedicated to reducing petroleum use and emissions through route optimization, alternative fuels, and hybrid vehicles. As of 2012, the company operates four compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and more than 100 CNG refuse-collection and support vehicles. Veolia joined the partnership in December 2011.

Johnson Controls, Inc. 

As a leading supplier of battery systems for hybrid electric vehicles, Johnson Controls is committed to designing and delivering increasingly sustainable products, services and solutions that will help its customers improve their energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint, and achieve their environmental goals. Leading by example, Johnson Controls has implemented several greenhouse gas reduction strategies in its global fleet of 19,000 vehicles. It first introduced hybrid electric vehicles into its fleet in 2009. Today, it operates more than 500 hybrids, each reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30%, and together saving $500,000 in fuel costs during the first two-and-a-half years of operation. In 2011, it deployed 20 all-electric vans, which are estimated to achieve a 61% GHG reduction per vehicle. Other strategies include the use of CNG vans, and higher MPG vans and trucks. In 2012, Johnson Controls will pilot the use of telematics —allowing them to better collect and share geographic and other data with drivers—and continue with the deployment of additional alternative fuel vehicles, including propane-fueled units. Johnson Controls joined the partnership in February 2012.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

GM to Build New CNG Vans for AT&T

News release from AT&T.  Once again, while natural gas is not really renewable energy, its use may be of interest to readers because of its lower carbon footprint, as compared to gasoline or diesel.


GM Wentzville Plant to Build New CNG Vans for AT&T

Order shows AT&T's "continued commitment to alternative fuels and to investing right here in Missouri," says AT&T Missouri President John Sondag

St. Louis, Missouri, February 01, 2012


Fresh on the heels of the announcement that is has deployed its 5,000th alternative fuel vehicle, AT&T* announced today that it plans to take delivery of 1,200 Chevrolet Express dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) cargo vans to be deployed to AT&T service centers nationwide. It is the largest-ever order of GM CNG vehicles.

“St. Louis is home to AT&T’s Fleet Operations and we have more than 200 alternative fuel vehicles in the state,” said AT&T Missouri President John Sondag.  “This order shows AT&T’s continued commitment to alternative fuels and to investing right here in Missouri.”

AT&T, which has announced its intention to invest up to $565 million to deploy approximately 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles over a 10-year period through 2018, will use the vans to provide and maintain communications, high-speed Internet and television services for AT&T customers. Last week, the company announced the milestone deployment of its 5,000th alternative-fuel vehicle, a Chevrolet Express van, as part of the commitment.

 “CNG technology is important to AT&T because it helps us reduce our fleet-based carbon emissions,” said Jerome Webber, AT&T vice president of Fleet Operations. “It is also cost-effective and readily available in our country right now.” 

According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, CNG-powered vans can produce approximately 25 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than similar gasoline and diesel-powered vans, which supports AT&T’s corporate commitment to minimize its impact on the environment.

In 2010, AT&T and other large U.S. fleet operators joined in the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership as part of a national challenge launched by President Obama to cut America’s petroleum imports by one-third by 2025. Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased up to 8,000 CNG vehicles at an estimated cost of $350 million. Additionally, over the life of the commitment, AT&T expects to invest $215 million to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

According to a 2009 Center for Automotive Research report, AT&T’s planned alternative-fuel vehicle initiative would:

  • Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period
  • Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons – the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 38,600 passenger vehicles from the road for one year
More Sustainable Service Garages

Beyond the AFV deployments, AT&T is turning to its service garages to help minimize its environmental footprint and cut operating costs within its overall fleet. These programs include:
  • Redirecting an estimated 60,000 old tires annually through a new recycling program that turns old rubber into fuel and consumer products
  • Recycling all primary garage products, including 180,000 pounds of oil filters; 200,000 gallons of oil; and 23,000 gallons of antifreeze annually
  • Eliminating the purchase of 9,000 pounds of lead annually that were being used to balance new fleet vehicle tires at high speeds
For more information about AT&T’s sustainability efforts and to view a copy of AT&T’s 2010 Sustainability Report, please visit www.att.com/csr.