FedEx Adds More Electric Vehicles To Its Fleet

FedEx will put 24 all-electric vehicles (EVs) on the road, the company announced this week. FedEx will expand EVs to three new cities (NYC, Chicago, and Memphis), which will more than double its fleet to 43 all-EVs, and diversity the current LA fleet. In addition, FedEx is upgrading vehicles on high-mileage routes with 4,000 fuel-efficient BlueTEC clean diesel Sprinter Vans. FedEx began to make steps to green its vehicles in 2000 when it partnered with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to makes its delivery trucks more environmentally friendly.

FedEx calls itself the “world’s largest express transportation company,” and as such it is significant that it is expanding its “green” fleet. In 2008, the transportation sector was responsible for about 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the EPA. The transportation sector is the fastest-growing source of U.S. GHG emissions, accounting for 47 percent of the net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990, and is the largest end-use source of carbon dioxide.

FedEx Chairman, President and CEO, Fred Smith said of our addiction to oil, “What is needed now is an urgent, national commitment to action.” When a transportation company like FedEx greens its fleet, it influences other companies.

What are other transportation companies doing to green their fleets? Take the two other large delivery companies: UPS and DHL. UPS announced this month that it is adding 14 all-EVs to its London fleet, increasing the U.K. Green Fleet to 20. It is adding the EVs in advance of the London 2012 games, as the routes the EVs are being added to will include Olympics venues. Last year, UPS expanded its hybrid EV fleet to eight more cities. DHL added 80 EVs to its green fleet in Manhattan in Apri

The federal government created a program to help companies expand their green fleets, and UPS and FedEx are two of its five charter members. President Obama announced the creation of the National Clean Fleets Partnership (NCFP) in April. A public-private partnership, the NCFP helps large companies reduce fossil fuel use in their fleets by adding EVs, alternative fuels and fuel efficiency measures. The other three charter members are AT&T, PepsiCo and Verizon. The five charter members represent half of the largest fleets in the U.S.

[photo credits] User: ericrichardson

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Anastasia F.

3:50PM PDT on Jul 13, 2011

Good news!

send a green star

Nicole W.

6:57PM PDT on Jul 10, 2011

Great, but they still use air travel, no green energy there.

Michael C.

1:39PM PDT on Jul 10, 2011

Joe, The city units will be all electric, as they should be.

The diesels you mentioned will be the newly introduced Sprinter BlueTec, with 188hp and 325 pound-feet of torque, giving it 34 hp and 40 ft.lb. more torque and it is slightly cleaner than the European model. These units will be used for longer routes.

Monica D.

9:08PM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

This sounds like a positive step.

Marilyn L.

3:51PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

good news

Alberta G.

6:42AM PDT on Jul 4, 2011

Yeah!!

Mrs S.

11:33AM PDT on Jul 2, 2011

Not enough, but I salute them for trying :)