Big Brown is getting a little greener. UPS announced this week that they’re investing more heavily in alternative fuel vehicles. The company says it has placed orders for 200 hybrid-electric (HEV) and 300 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles from Daimler Trucks North America. This increases the size of the UPS alternative fuel fleet by 30 percent: from 1,718 to 2,218 vehicles.

UPS already has quite a few compressed natural gas trucks on the road, but they were all converted from conventional fuels. The 300 new vehicles will all be specifically manufactured for alternative fuel use. Their bodies will be essentially identical to the brown signature models familiar to most UPS customers, but they’ll be powered by 5.9-liter, six-cylinder Cummins B Gas Plus engines.

The new UPS HEV trucks represent a departure for the company from their compressed natural gas track. Also built from the ground up as special purpose vehicles, the HEVs will feature Mercedes-Benz MBE 904 diesel engines and Eaton hybrid systems. Each truck will be equipped with a 2 kWh lithium ion battery pack, a computer-controlled manual transmission, and produce about 40 percent fuel savings and a sharp 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions when compared with standard diesel systems.

It’s not the first time UPS has demonstrated attention to fuel economy. In 2005, the company invested in a $600 million route optimization system. The software deliberately discourages left turns along its routes — something which has the effect of both reducing idling time and the overall length of individual delivery routes.

UPS was founded 1907 as messenger company. It has since grown into a $42.6 billion corporation, serving 200 countries and territories worldwide.

More Reading:

UPS Orders 200 Hybrid and 300 CNG Vehicles from Daimler (Green Car Congress)
UPS Places Largest Order Ever for Hybrid Electric Trucks (UPS press release)

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