FedEx Doubles Electric Vehicle Fleet

Electric Car News | admin | June 30, 2011 at 6:21 am

FedEx Express announced it will double its electric vehicle fleet and add more than 4,000 new fuel-efficient vehicles to its conventional fleet including hybrid-electric, clean diesel and lightweight composite vehicles.

The company’s total electric fleet will now be 43-strong, and all-electric delivery is being expanded to three new cities: New York, Memphis and Chicago.

In all, FedEx will add into service 15 Navistar eStar electric vehicles, two Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) eCell electric vehicles and two FCCC electric vehicle retrofits, and five Ford Transit Connect Electric vans to complement the current 19 all-electric vehicles deployed in Los Angeles, London and Paris.

FedEx Express has also been piloting five lightweight Utilimaster vehicles in Detroit, Memphis, Jackson, Tenn., and Jonesboro, Ark. Unlike conventional aluminum vehicles, Utilimaster vehicles are made from composite materials, including recycled rubber material, resin and fiberglass. These lightweight materials and a smaller, more efficient engine achieve a 35 percent improved fuel economy over the vehicles they replace.