Coca-Cola said Wednesday the company will convert all of its newly purchased 2014 Chevrolet Express service vans into hybrid-electric vehicles using XL Hybrids’ powertrain technology.
The updated vans will be traversing roads across the country by year’s end.
Coca-Cola currently operates the largest heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America, and the addition of 100 hybrid service vans builds upon this work by expanding the variety of fuel-efficient options in the Company’s light-duty fleet.
“Adoption of this hybrid technology supports Coca-Cola’s goal to reduce the carbon footprint embedded in ‘the drink in your hand’ by 25 percent by 2020,” says Bruce Karas, Vice President of Environment and Sustainability for Coca-Cola. “We continue to make energy-saving investments because they are good for business, good for the communities we serve and good for the planet.”
Coke’s early test results of hybrid technology were positive, showing a 15 to 20 percent fuel reduction compared to the company’s conventional vans. The 100 new hybrid vans are expected to eliminate about 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions that conventional vans would produce over their 10-year life span.
Justin Ashton, Vice President of Business Development and Co-founder at XL Hybrids, says the powertrain unit pays for itself three times over its life span.
In addition to the hybrid service vans, Coca-Cola recently announced the roll out of 16 first-of-its-kind refrigerated plug-in electric vehicles. These trucks deliver the Company’s Odwalla brand beverages in the San Francisco Bay Area. Coca-Cola is also making carbon footprint reductions across its manufacturing processes, packaging and refrigeration equipment.
