UPS (NYSE: UPS) announced the purchase of 100 all-electric delivery vehicles for deployment in California.
The 100 vehicles will be acquired from Electric Vehicles International (EVI) of Stockton, Calif., and will replace older generation diesel trucks in the largest single deployment of zero tailpipe emission delivery vehicles in the state. These electric vehicles will have a 90-mile range and displace an estimated 126,000 gallons of fuel a year that would have been burned running diesel trucks.
"This purchase is a milestone for UPS's alternative fleet expansion," said Mike Britt, UPS's director of vehicle engineering. "UPS's research and development of alternative technologies has determined it is time to explore electric drive systems within the short-range segment of our delivery fleet. This purchase is an important first step in supporting investment and advancement in electric vehicle technology. EVI's vehicle met our requirements in the test phase. Now we will operate these vehicles in the real world and help establish the future viability of this technology."
UPS currently has 28 all-electric vehicles in its fleet operating in New York City and in Europe.