Ryder System, Inc., a provider of trucks for lease or rental, announced its fleet of 250 natural gas vehicles has surpassed six million miles. The fleet consists of 35 liquefied natural gas and 215 compressed natural gas tractors, currently running in 32 customer operations in California, Arizona, and Michigan.
Since deploying its natural gas truck program in 2011, the company says its vehicles have replaced approximately 923,000 gallons of diesel fuel with domestically produced natural gas and reduced emissions by more than 2,300 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions).
“We are also leveraging the scale of our natural gas vehicle program to improve our understanding of the technology and to provide input about our experiences to manufacturers and other stakeholders,” said Greg Swienton, chairman and CEO of Ryder.
Ryder is also helping customers grow into the technology with its “Flex-to-Green Lease” program. These customers start out with a diesel-powered vehicle and then have the option to convert to a natural gas vehicle after one year.
Ryder started offering heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the leasing and rental industry through a natural gas vehicle project with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) in Southern California. Working with SANBAG and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Clean Cities Coalition, Ryder made 202 heavy duty natural gas-powered vehicles available for rent or lease. As part of the project, the company is building two natural gas fueling stations and has equipped three maintenance facilities for the indoor servicing of natural gas vehicles in Fontana, Orange, and Rancho Dominguez, Calif. The $38.7 million project is being funded as part of a joint public/private industry partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and Ryder.
The company’s natural gas fleet includes both compressed and liquefied natural gas vehicles that are currently deployed in customer operations in California, Arizona, and Michigan.
