Frito-Lay buying 100 more Smith Electric Vehicle trucks in 2012; natural gas coming for tractor fleet

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division will purchase 100 Newton Series 2000 all-electric commercial vehicles in 2012 from Smith Electric Vehicles, bringing the total number of its electric fleet to more than 280. Over the past two years, 176 Smith Electric Vehicles trucks have been added to the Frito-Lay commercial delivery truck fleet. To date, these trucks have accumulated 1 million miles and eliminated the need for approximately 200,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
With the seventh-largest privately owned fleet in the US—comprising more than 20,000 trucks—Frito-Lay has set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gases and fuel consumption, both by 50%, by 2020. To minimize the fleet’s environmental impact, several types of vehicles have been introduced to meet the different needs of the Frito-Lay fleet. The all-electric trucks are delivery trucks used on urban routes with fewer daily miles.
With all electric trucks fully deployed on routes, Frito-Lay expects to reduce their fuel consumption by 500,000 gallons a year.

The first million miles with the electric trucks have been a journey of understanding and refining both how and where we use these vehicles, as well as providing input to help improve upon the performance for the next generation vehicle. We are now in position to more quickly accelerate our strategy and grow the electric vehicle fleet.

As we push to make Frito-Lay’s fleet the most fuel efficient commercial fleet in the US, we need to continue to build on our current strategy and look for options to address other types of trucks in the fleet—one of which will be compressed natural gas for our tractor fleet.

—Mike O’Connell, senior director of fleet capability for Frito-Lay North America

Compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors will be introduced this spring, and will be used to haul large loads. Each CNG vehicle, purchased from Freightliner, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23%, compared to diesel. With 67 CNG vehicles planned to be on route by the end of the year, Frito-Lay will eliminate the need for more than 900,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually.
The CNG vehicles will be used at seven Frito-Lay North America distribution centers, including: Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Irving, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Beloit, WI; Frankfort, IN; Charlotte, NC; and Casa Grande, AZ. The company piloted 18 CNG vehicles to prepare for the roll-out.



Source: Green Car Congress

Smith Electric Reveals New EV Step Van For FedEx

One of the quiet success stories in the EV world has been Smith Electric. This company is slowly but surely signing on one big business after another, and Smith EV’s are becoming a more common sign in cities across the U.S. Ever charging forward, Smith has revealed a step-van version of its Newton electric van, the first examples going to parcel-service FedEx.

FedEx’s white delivery van are well known to most Americans, but what isn’t as well known is the fact that fuel costs are one of the parcel company’s largest expenses. And it isn’t just FedEx either; nationwide, many businesses spend a lot of money to not go very far, with most businesses operating within a 100-mile radius. With electricity rates being what they are, going electric isn’t just about saving the Earth…it is about saving money.

While not every route will work with the Newton’s limited 100-mile range, many will. With a gross-vehicle weight of between 14,000 and 26,000 pounds, these EV vans are no slouch in the hauling department either. Frito Lay is already using Smith EV’s for deliveries in New York City, and the U.S. Marine Corp is testing two Newton EV’s for deployment on the battlefield.

It is funny how, among all the politicizing of electric vehicles, Smith Electric really seems to be making movies without making news. The marriage of left-wing ideals (electric cars) with right-wing business acumen just makes sense. EV’s won’t work for everyone…but that doesn’t mean that won’t work for anyone. Perhaps President Obama should mention Smith Electric more, and the Chevy Volt less?

Source: Gas2.0

Frito-Lay putting 8 electric delivery trucks in service in Boston area as part of 176-EV fleet

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division is introducing 8 new electric trucks in the Boston area as part of a larger 176-unit electric fleet rollout in North America; once those are deployed, Frito-Lay will have the largest commercial fleet of all-electric trucks in North America.

The trucks, designed by Smith Electric Vehicles, operate for up to 100 miles (161 km) on a single charge.

Frito-Lay’s fleet program aligns with the Massachusetts Clean Cities Coalition, which works with vehicle fleets, fuel providers, community leaders and other stakeholders to reduce petroleum use in transportation.

The Massachusetts Clean Cities Coalition is part of a nationwide program sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) that focuses on promoting the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs), as well as supporting the development of infrastructure necessary to make AVFs a viable transportation option.

With the seventh largest privately owned fleet in the US, we have set a goal of becoming the most fuel efficient fleet in the country, and these vehicles give us an opportunity to use the latest advances in transportation technology as a significant way to reduce our environmental impact.

—Mike O’Connell, senior director of fleet for Frito-Lay North America

Frito-Lay North America is the $13-billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY.