United Parcel Service (UPS) rolled out a delivery service in California specifically for small parcels with a 100% EV fleet recently. They bought 42 electric cars and trucks (ZAP Xebra) from the well-known EV manufacturer ZAP. This is a first for UPS in that they have never used electric vehiclesbefore. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the conventional UPS delivery vans to do small parcel deliveries, and with the added benefit of lower fuel consumption and emissions it seemed the obvious choice. Drivers will now also be monitoring the electricity usage to analyse the cost savings and emission reductions being achieved.
ZAP CEO Stever Schneider said that “This is the missing link for small package deliveries in congested areas. Packages go from the airplanes, to the tractor trailers, to the delivery vans, then to the drop-off nodes. From there the ZAP trucks make the final delivery to the consumer in a zero-emission vehicle that costs less to operate. It’s a perfect example of how green technology can help corporate America’s bottom line.”
UPS will be setting up distribution points where their conventional trucks will transfer their packages to the EV Fleet, which will be responsible for the delivery to the final destination, specifically smaller communities and downtown areas, which the conveniontal trucks are finding harder to deliver to due to their size.
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March 12th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
That’s cool. The company is a serious long-term good investment too, the stock is like 60 cents and they have great electric vehicles.
Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZAP_%28motor_company%29
March 13th, 2008 at 6:36 am
No doubt about it ZAP is a leader in this emerging market. I think that EV’s will have a very sudden surge in demand very soon, and ZAP has positioned itself very nicely! If you can, get in, and get in fast! Don’t take it from me though – I recently read in Moneyweek magazine that they’ve got their eye on the EV market, so that should tell you something! I live in South Africa, and there’s not a single EV dealership, not one! South Africa is one of the fastest growing economies and with the current petrol prices having such a burdening effect, EV’s would be VERY welcomed I guarantee you that!
I had some correspondence with ZAP, and they’re interested in the market. But there’s quite an investment involved – which without a doubt will be paid back with huge dividends! Nonetheless, it’s difficult to raise funds for this cause (ironic isn’t it!) Any takers? Drop me a comment and we can talk!
March 21st, 2008 at 11:05 am
It’s great news that UPS has shifted to EVs for transporting their parcels. It makes a lot of sense both financially and environmentally speaking. Running a vehicle on electricity reduces the running cost to a fraction of a petrol vehicle and the negative impact of the running of the vehicle on the environment is hugely reduced. More transport companies should take a leaf out of UPS’s book.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I’am looking forward to ZAP for something of the same standard !