PARIS, August 3rd 2009—FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), announces the arrival in Paris of three state-of-the-art hybrid vehicles designed by Iveco, a leading manufacturer of commercial trucks. The vehicles will be part of the FedEx Express fleet that manages pick-up and deliveries.
Ten hybrid vehicles have been in service during the last six months in Milan and Turin, Italy, and since the beginning of June three of these vehicles have been making deliveries to the centre of Paris from FedEx stations based in Saint-Ouen and in Aubervilliers. Six couriers have been trained in the most environmentally-efficient techniques for driving these innovative vehicles.
This is part of a broader commitment to environmental responsibility by FedEx Express through the use of innovation and technology to reduce emissions. Following the launch of the Urban-Cab to provide ecologically-sensitive deliveries in the centre of Paris, this initiative is a further step by FedEx with regard to the environment in France.
In Italy, each of the 10 vehicles covered an average of 7,900 km with a 26.5% reduction in fuel consumption and a decrease in CO2 emissions of 7.5 tons when compared with a traditional vehicle. These results were made possible by sophisticated control systems and functions such as the Stop & Start, which allows the vehicle to start in electric mode and brake with energy recovery. More information on the first phase trial results is available here.
FedEx Express worked closely with Iveco in the development of the hybrid diesel-electric Iveco Daily, which demonstrates the new technology to be used for commercial vehicles and is designed to stand up to the demands of express delivery in crowded urban environments. FedEx Express was the first company to invest in commercially-deployable hybrids and is now operating more than 260 hybrid vehicles around the globe, the largest hybrid fleet in the Express transportation industry.