UPS Expands CNG Program

United Parcel Services of America Inc. says it will build 12 more compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and add 380 new CNG trucks to its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet.

The $100 million initiative builds on the delivery company’s existing 18 CNG stations in several U.S. states and an unspecified number of CNG vehicles it operates in the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands and Thailand. CNG-fueled trucks can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 10% compared with traditional gasoline vehicles, UPS says.

Kenworth will produce the CNG trucks. TruStar will build the new fueling stations, and Agility and Quantum Fuel Systems will provide the CNG storage systems.

UPS says nearly 7% of the more than 100,000 vehicles it operates worldwide are designed to run on alternative fuels or use “green” powertrains and other advanced technologies. In addition to CNG, the fleet includes all-electric, hybrid, hydraulic, LNG, propane and composite body systems.