UPS Updates 125 Hybrid Electric Trucks to Extend Range
LONG BEACH, Calif. — UPS Inc. said that 125 of its hybrid electric delivery trucks have been updated with a new engine that extends their delivery range while improving fuel economy.
The updated equipment will be deployed in eight states. UPS, which announced the step during the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo here, said the new 2-cylinder engine provides as much as four times better fuel economy than a gasoline-powered package vehicle. The announcement didn’t say how much the range was extended.
Workhorse Group of Cincinnati provided an updated E-Gen chassis and 650cc engine, the UPS statement said. The parcel delivery company, which is No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, has said it will run 1 billion miles with alternative energy-powered vehicles by next year.
“These low-emission trucks are designed specifically to meet the stop and start needs of UPS’s urban delivery routes,” Workhorse CEO Steve Burns said. “This new system enables the vehicle to accommodate UPS’ typical route on battery energy and uses a very small internal combustion engine to add additional energy to the batteries when and if needed.”
