UPS orders 50 hybrid electric delivery trucks

UPS orders 50 hybrid electric delivery trucks    UPS said Friday it has ordered 50 new-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks and will acquire 4,100 low-emission conventional vehicles during 2006.
   The hybrid trucks are being purchased in two sizes from International Truck and Engine and Freightliner LLC for an undisclosed amount. The trucks will feature lithium ion batteries with the first vehicle being deployed in Dallas in June.
   A hybrid electric vehicle replaces a conventional engine and transmission with a small fuel-efficient diesel engine that acts as a generator to provide electrical energy for batteries and drive motors, which in turn assume the primary role of powering the vehicle. When additional power is required, the truck can draw it directly from the small engine.
   UPS expects the 50 hybrid electric vehicle’s to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 44,000 gallons over the course of a year compared to a normal diesel truck and reduce by 457 metric tons the amount of CO2 gases released into the atmosphere over the course of a year.
   Most of the 4,100 low-emission vehicle chassis to be purchased in 2006 will be made by Freightliner and will enter the UPS fleet throughout the year, allowing the retirement of older trucks. These vehicles will save roughly 1.5 million gallons of fuel over the course of a year, emitting 16,000 fewer tons of CO2, UPS said.