DHL rolled out a fleet of electric and hybrid commercial vehicles in Manhattan that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 percent each year in comparison to conventional vehicles.
Expected to be fully deployed by September of this year, the 80 vehicle strong team of delivery vehicles are split between 30 Ford Transit Connect electric vans and 50 Ford E450 hybrid trucks.
Azure Dynamics will convert existing Ford E450s into hybrids by replacing the powertrain components, improving fuel economy by an estimated 40%, and reducing emissions by a predicted 30%.
The multi-million dollar investment in the modern, environmentally-friendly vehicles is an integral part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group’s global GoGreen strategy, which has the goal of improving the company’s carbon efficiency worldwide by 30 percent by 2020, compared to 2007 base levels.
In a large international city like New York, this fleet investment, which dovetails with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s comprehensive plan to lower carbon emissions throughout the city, allows DHL to serve customers with sustainable solutions and improved resource efficiency.
