On January 19, 2010, UPS announced the deployment of another 245 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, adding to what is already one of the industry’s largest alternative fuel vehicle fleets.

Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president of supply chain, strategy, engineering and sustainable technology, cited both environmental as well as economic benefits when making this announcement, “The greening of our fleet demonstrates the effectiveness of harnessing multiple technologies and applying the right vehicles to areas where they will provide the best advantage. Compressed Natural Gas continues to be a sustainable technology for UPS’s fleet because natural gas is cost effective, clean-burning and abundant.”

The new trucks were sent to Denver, Colorado, as well as four cities throughout central California. Of the 245 trucks, 18 went to San Ramon, 16 went to Fresno, 59 went to West Los Angeles and 12 went to Ontario. With these additions, UPS will be operating an alternative vehicle fleet of 1,900. This fleet, made up of trucks fuelled by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, electric and hybrid electric vehicles, is a global presence and, with the recent addition expected to result in a reported 15 percent emissions reduction, according to UPS.

While these most recent vehicles were built to run on compressed gas, the first CNG vehicles used by UPS were originally gas and diesel-powered trucks that were converted to CNG, circa 1980. This conversion process is still used by businesses and governments that wish to reduce emissions and cut costs when factory-built NGV models are not available.

Likewise, individuals looking to retrofit their own vehicles can get in touch with a natural gas conversion specialist who will determine whether the vehicle can be converted to meet strict EPA standards.  The money that is saved in fuel and operating costs, in addition to the income tax credit for CNG vehicles that was passed in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, often makes up for the cost of conversion. The more you drive, the more you save.

While UPS has been known to set standards in the arena of alternative transportation, they are not alone in this movement to utilize natural gas. This announcement comes eight months after AT&T’s decision to buy and convert 8,000 Ford vans and trucks to CNG over the next five years, and just five days following Waste Management’s move to deploy more CNG trucks in California.