USA – FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of the global delivery giant, has announced they are to conduct trials with a zero emission plug-in electric/hydrogen fuel cell hybrid tractor. In an agreement with Vision Industries Corp of Florida, FedEx are to have one of their standard trucks converted to a Tyrano hybrid.
The reconfigured vehicle will then be tested for one year in certain operations to evaluate the operational suitability of the Vision Tyrano technology.
Douglas G. Duncan, president and CEO of FedEx Freight said that: “It is our goal to be involved in projects such as this to further the advancement of alternative fuels that both reduce our dependence on foreign oil and are good for the environment.
“We are excited about technological advancements we see today in transportation and look forward to what the future holds in this arena.”
Martin Schuermann, president & CEO of Vision, stated: “We applaud the FedEx vision of an environmentally friendly heavy-duty truck fleet. We believe that our zero emission Tyrano-powered vehicle will help FedEx Freight work toward its goal of reducing its carbon footprint.”
Vision Industries state that the Tyrano heavy duty class 8 truck is 35% cheaper to operate than current diesel powered trucks and 50% cheaper than liquefied natural gas. It has a number of environmental bonuses such as zero emission and noise pollution.
If the trials are deemed successful FedEx could be paving the way for the old smoke-belching, diesel-guzzling rig to go the way of the Dodo.
(pic: FedEx Kenworth T660, the type to be converted. Thanks to Vision Industries)
http://fedex.com/us/freight/main
