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Exploring Fuel Alternatives * USA - For the Largest Civilian Fleet - the USPS
With an estimated 219,000 service vehicles, the United State Postal Service operates the largest civilian fleet in the country
USA -Consumer Energy Report, by Gerri L. Elder -March 24, 2009: -- Since the vast majority of these vehicles are powered by gasoline, rising gas prices are having a huge impact on operating costs... According to the New York Times, every 1-cent increase in the price of a gallon of gas costs the USPS $8 million. In 2007, the fleet drank $1.7 billion in gasoline. This year costs are projected to go up by $600 million, giving the USPS the motivation to find alternatives... Ruth Y. Goldway, a member of the United States Postal Regulatory Commission writes, “Converting just its 142,000 standard delivery trucks would reduce gasoline consumption by up to 68 million gallons a year and save the Postal Service millions of dollars. Delivery vehicles could be powered by electricity from solar panels installed on the roofs of mail sorting centers and local post offices — a self-sufficient system. You could plug in your own electric car there while you drop off parcels and buy stamps.“ ... The USPS already had one failed attempt at reducing dependence on gasoline. Between 1999 and 2005, it purchased more than 30,000 ethanol-capable trucks and minivans. The vehicles had larger engines than the vehicles they replaced and got as much as 29 percent fewer miles per gallon. Since corn-based fuel is not readily available in many areas, the USPS powered less than 1,000 of the vehicles with ethanol... (Photo. With more than 200,000 vehicles, the USPS can make a significant impact if they were to revamp their fleet) Labels: alternative fuels
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