Transportation

Transportation Solutions

The following is a brief overview of transportation solutions undertaken by members of The Pew Center's Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC).

For more information on each of these companies efforts to address climate change, please see the Businesses Leading The Way section of this Web site.

Air Products

• Air Products and Chemicals’ distribution fleet is over 50 percent more fuel-efficient than it was three decades ago. Air Products uses sophisticated logistics scheduling software to maximize the amount of product hauled in each load and determine the optimal delivery routes to customers. Air Products fleet managers have recently set new internal miles per gallon targets to increase fleet efficiency using best practices for driving and maintaining vehicles.
  
  
• Air Products and Chemicals develops hydrogen infrastructure and fuel-handling technologies to enable the commercialization of hydrogen as an energy carrier and is working with the private and public sectors to develop a market for hydrogen fuel.
  
  
• Air Products and Chemicals is providing hydrogen production, distribution, and vehicle expertise to collaborations of public, private, and government institutions, and is participating in numerous demonstration projects in North America and Europe on the development of hydrogen fuels, fueling systems, and vehicles. For more information visit, Air Product's Hydrogen Energy Website.
  
  
  
• Air Products is part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a unique collaboration of auto manufacturers, energy companies, fuel cell companies, and government agencies. The partnership’s goal is to advance and evaluate new automobile technology that can move the world toward practical and affordable environmental solutions. The organization was formed in April 1999 and placed over 40 fuel cell vehicles—cars and buses—on the road between 2000 and 2003. In addition to facilitating the placement of up to 300 vehicles in fleet demonstrations between 2004 and 2007, partnership members will build demonstration hydrogen fuel stations, act to facilitate a path towards commercialization of hydrogen, and enhance public awareness and support.
  

Baxter

• Baxter encourages facilities establish and offer ride-sharing programs to conserve the amount of fuel employees use to travel to work.
  
  
• Baxter estimates and reports energy-related greenhouse gas emissions associated with employee commuting and employee use of commercial airlines.
  
  
• Baxter has partnered with the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez in a pilot biodiesel project. A Baxter vehicle uses biodiesel produced by a system developed at the University. Baxter plans to expand its fleet of biodiesel vehicles in Puerto Rico.

The Boeing Company

• Boeing launched production of its new 787 aircraft in 2004. The 787 will be lighter due to the use of composite materials (instead of metals) and will use 20 percent less fuel than other models.
  

• Boeing is involved in a demonstration project aimed at exploring the use of fuel cell technology for future aerospace applications. The project will evaluate the potential application of fuel cell technology to future commercial airplane products. As part of the evaluation, the project will develop and demonstrate the use of fuel cells in auxiliary power units.

BP

• BP is part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a unique collaboration of auto manufacturers, energy companies, fuel cell companies, and government agencies. The partnership’s goal is to advance and evaluate new automobile technology that can move the world toward practical and affordable environmental solutions. The organization was formed in April 1999 and placed over 40 fuel cell vehicles—cars and buses—on the road between 2000 and 2003. In addition to facilitating the placement of up to 300 vehicles in fleet demonstrations between 2004 and 2007, partnership members will build demonstration hydrogen fuel stations, act to facilitate a path towards commercialization of hydrogen, and enhance public awareness and support.
  
  
• BP is taking practical steps to bring hydrogen fuel and fuelling facilities into cities around the world as demonstration projects involving buses and cars with the aim to familiarise commerce and the public with hydrogen as the ultimate clean fuel of tomorrow. BP sees their business role as a supplier of hydrogen fuel and a partner in demonstrating the viability of fuel cells in mobile and stationary applications. This strategy makes use of BP’s core skills in fuel production, storage and distribution.
  
  
• BP’s Global Choice program allows Australian business customers to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from their fuel consumption. Participation in the program is free for companies purchasing BP Ultimate or bp autogas and only 1-2 cents per liter to offset regular unleaded or diesel fuels. The offsets are independently audited and certified by the Australian Federal Government’s Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO). Since November 2001, over 6,500 customers have offset 626,095 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
  

CH2M HILL

• CH2M HILL supports local commuter trip reduction programs by partially subsidizing the cost of annual transit passes and enabling full-time teleworking for employees whose jobs permit.
  
  
• The Denver office initiated a web-based commuting tool to help employees avoid congestion resulting from a major transportation construction project, to connect people to carpools, and to provide local transit information and traffic updates.
  
  
• Some local offices include hybrid gas-electric vehicles in their fleets or subscribe to FlexCar programs.

Cinergy

• In 2004, Cinergy announced plans to purchase five Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles for its corporate fleet. CO₂ reductions from the use of the five Priuses will be an estimated 37,140 pounds annually (as compared to operating five standard vehicles in Cinergy's corporate fleet).
  
  
• Cinergy Corp. operates passenger vehicles, light trucks, and heavy trucks that utilize compressed natural gas or propane as an alternative to gasoline or diesel fuels.

Cummins Inc.

• Cummins joined the U.S. government and other industry partners in the Twenty-First Century Truck Initiative, with the goal of developing commercially viable truck and propulsion system technologies that will dramatically cut fuel use and emissions from medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses.
  
  
• Cummins sold over 2000 Compressed Natural Gas engines to the Beijing Public Transportation Corporation for the city bus fleet. These engines exceed Euro II emissions standards.
  
  
• Cummins has partnered with Lockheed Martin Control Systems and Orion Bus to produce the diesel engine and soot filter for Lockheed’s hybrid electric drive system for 125 Orion VII hybrid buses, to be purchased by the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Deutsche Telekom

• Deutsche Telekom’s vehicle fleet’s CO₂ emissions have decreased approximately 30 percent over the last six years, as a result of using smaller or alternative-fuel vehicles, substituting train travel for car or plane travel, using videoconferencing in place of travel, and incorporating environmental impacts into the company’s technical specifications for vehicle suppliers and manufacturers.
  

Dupont

• Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a DuPont company, the world's leading developer and supplier of agricultural seeds, operates a significant portion its fleet of farm and transportation equipment on biofuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel, offsetting CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.

Exelon

• Biodiesel and Hybrid Vehicle Program
  
  • ComEd continues to be a major voluntary user of B-20 biodiesel blended product, with 2004 consumption surpassing the 2 million gallon mark. For 2004, this consumption level reduced particulate emissions by more than 340 tons and displaced the need to purchase more than 400,000 gallons of petroleum-based diesel. ComEd is recognized as the largest regional consumer of biodiesel and ranks in the top 5 percent of biodiesel consumers nationwide.
    
  • In 2005, Exelon purchased 50 Ford Escape Hybrids, the first production hybrid sport-utility vehicle (SUV). These now comprise about 25 percent of the company’s overall SUV fleet. The combination gasoline and electric Ford Escape operates in electric-only mode when the vehicles travel at low speeds or idle at a stop. As a result, the hybrid Escapes provide an estimated 50 percent improvement in city/highway fuel economy when compared to the conventional Escape.
    
  • In 2004, Exelon also joined the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), a project of the U.S. Army and WestStart. The forum coordinated specifications and a request for proposal (RFP) for the prototype of a medium-duty hybrid utility truck. Exelon’s fleet-supply team had the opportunity to drive the prototype, named the Validator, in January 2005. The truck offers specific benefits for the utility business, such as an immediate source of 25 kilowatts (kW) of exportable power that can be supplied to specific customer locations that have lost power, thereby introducing the possibility of reducing the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI). In 2005, Exelon procured two preproduction hybrid trucks from International Truck and Engine Corporation, one each for PECO and ComEd operations. The combination diesel and electric powered trucks are expected to improve fuel economy up to 60 percent compared to diesel-only fueled trucks. The new hybrid truck will also allow the operator to shut off the diesel engine and operate the bucket on an electric motor for up to two hours before the engine has to come back on to briefly charge the battery. As a result, considerably less fuel is burned and noise is reduced. About two-thirds of the fuel savings result from the engine being shut off at the work site.
    
    
• Donated CNG station for airport transit buses
  
  • Partnering with the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program (GPCCP), PECO helped move the Philadelphia International Airport (PIA) one step closer toward procurement of compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses. A recent study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through a GPCCP grant, determined that significant reductions in emissions are possible through adoption of alternative fuel vehicles, most notably CNG fueled vehicles.
    
  • In 2004, the decision was made by PECO to close the CNG station located at the King of Prussia service area on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Declining patronage and increasing operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses were the main drivers. Since the major expense in decommissioning the station was removal and site restoration, PECO offered the station to GPCCP and PIA in hopes that it could be re-commissioned to support an anticipated procurement of CNG transit buses.
    
  • In November, the station was moved from the turnpike service area to a temporary location at PIA, awaiting installation and commissioning at the airport in mid-2005. This move eliminated the O&M expense and demonstrated PECO’s environmental commitment by facilitating future use of this asset in a manner certain to improve air quality at the airport. In addition, PECO made a $20,000 cash gift to GPCCP for funding the relocation and site restoration

Hewlett-Packard

• In 2004, Hewlett-Packard was ranked in the top twenty FORTUNE 500 companies participating in the public-private sector voluntary program Best Workplaces for Commuters.^SM Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM was established by the DOT and EPA to publicly recognize employers whose commuter benefits address parking, congestion, and environmental impacts associated with driving-alone commuting. Seventy percent of HP's employees telecommute on a full-time, regular, or occasional basis. HP’s Bay Area work sites also have electric vehicle recharging stations onsite and offer transit subsidies to employees. HP work sites in Georgia also offer transit subsidies, hold quarterly meetings to discuss commuter issues, and subsidize all vanpool expenses beyond the cost of gas.
  

IBM

• In 2004, IBM was ranked in the top twenty FORTUNE 500 companies participating in the public-private sector voluntary program Best Workplaces for Commuters®. Best Workplaces for Commuters^® was established by the DOT and EPA to publicly recognize employers whose commuter benefits address parking, congestion, and environmental impacts associated with driving-alone commuting. Commuter programs particularly telecommuting, not only benefit the environment by reducing traffic congestion, but also benefit IBM employees by providing them with greater flexibility, and benefit the company by enhancing the productivity of its work force. IBM has currently more than 20,000 employees participating in telework arrangements in the U.S. Many IBM locations around the country also encourage employees to take public transportation, carpool, vanpool, use bikes, etc. in order to reduce traffic congestion and its resulting air pollution. At these multiple locations, IBM provides commuter assistance programs which provide employees with guidance on using alternative modes of transportation and Emergency Ride Home programs. Some of these IBM locations provide employees with various benefits including but not limited to transit subsidies, discounted transit passes, internal carpool ride-matching service, access to onsite amenities such as cafeterias, credit unions, ATM's, medical center, commuter information kiosks, common telework stations, bike racks, showers, etc.

Intel

• In 2004, Intel was ranked number one among FORTUNE 500 participating companies in the public-private sector voluntary program Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM. Best Workplaces for Commuters^sm was established by the DOT and EPA to publicly recognize employers whose commuter benefits address parking, congestion, and environmental impacts associated with driving-alone commuting. In 2003, 44 percent of Intel’s 48,600-plus U.S.-based employees were able to take advantage of telecommute options, while other staffers participated in flextime, compressed workweeks, part-time hours, and job-share programs. Intel offers commuter benefits to more than 90 percent of its work force including a universal vanpool and transit subsidy program and Emergency Ride Home services. In addition, Intel provides on-site fitness centers, food cafes, dry cleaning, and photo development for its employees at major work sites.

Interface Inc.

• Interface addresses transportation impacts by reducing packaging materials, manufacturing its products closer to the customer, and transporting information rather than matter using electronic and on-line communication.
  
  
• Interface is a charter partner in the EPA’s SmartWay Transport voluntary partnership. SmartWay focuses on reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ground freight carriers.
  
  
• Interface has partnered with Business for Social Responsibility’s Green Freight Group.
  
  
• Interface has launched its own Transportation Working Group comprised of representatives from all of its business units. The company is working to establish its transportation footprint, including setting a baseline year, developing metrics to monitor future performance, and collecting and sharing best practices between business units.

Ontario Power Generation

• Ontario Power Generation has committed to lease ten low emission vehicles, electric, gas/electric hybrid or natural gas, each year for the next three years.

PG&E Corporation

• PG&E Corporation began its Clean Air Transportation program in 1988 and currently has more than 650 natural gas vehicles in its fleet.

Rio Tinto

• Rio Tinto subsidiary US Borax is participating with Millenium Cell in the further development and possible commercialization of a process that generates pure hydrogen or electricity from environmentally friendly raw materials such as borates. In the Hydrogen on Demand™ process, the energy potential of hydrogen is carried in the chemical bonds of sodium borohydride, which in the presence of a catalyst either releases hydrogen or produces electricity.

Royal Dutch/Shell

• Royal Dutch/Shell is part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a unique collaboration of auto manufacturers, energy companies, fuel cell companies, and government agencies. The partnership’s goal is to advance and evaluate new automobile technology that can move the world toward practical and affordable environmental solutions. The organization was formed in April 1999 and placed over 40 fuel cell vehicles—cars and buses—on the road between 2000 and 2003.
  
  
• Royal Dutch/Shell’s Shell Hydrogen was established in early 1999 to pursue and develop global business opportunities related to hydrogen and fuel cells. Shell Hydrogen is involved, through Icelandic New England Ltd, in a pioneering project that may bring about a complete transition to a hydrogen economy in the coming decades in Iceland.

SC Johnson

• SC Johnson offers a Van Pool program to employees who commute everyday from Milwaukee or Chicago to its global headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.

Toyota

United Technologies

• UTCFC is developing zero emission, energy efficient fuel cells for transportation applications with environmental and energy security benefits. They’ve deployed zero emission fuel cell buses in Washington, DC, California, Madrid and Turin. In 2004, AC Transit logged over 8,000 miles operating a Thor 30’ hydrogen fuel cell, hybrid-electric bus developed by ISE Corporation and UTC Fuel Cells. This bus was deployed in the Oakland, California area and achieved double the fuel economy of a 30-foot diesel bus. In 2005, UTCFC is delivering power plants for four fuel cell buses that will be operated in California by AC Transit and SunLine Transit.
  
  
• UTCFC is currently working with major automobile manufacturers, including Nissan, Hyundai-KIA and BMW, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on development and demonstration programs for automobiles. They are teamed with Chevron and Hyundai-KIA as part of DOE’s Hydrogen Learning Demonstration Program and will be deploying a fleet of 32 zero-emission Hyundai-KIA Tucson sport utility vehicles and Sportage cars as part of the initiative.

Wisconsin Energy Corporation

• Wisconsin Energy Corporation has natural gas vehicles representing approximately 6 percent of the company’s light-duty fleet. Since 1999, We Energies has operated the largest NGV fleet in Wisconsin. In addition, Wisconsin Energy has worked with other businesses to place over 700 natural gas vehicles in service and has been instrumental in siting 14 public-access and nine private compressed natural gas stations.
• In 2005, Wisconsin Energy Corporation was named a Best Workplace for Commuters by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for offering our employees outstanding commuter benefits and meeting the EPA's National Standard of Excellence. Offered options include pre-tax benefits for parking and transit users, rideshare program for matching carpool participants, commuter value programs (value passes and commuter coupons), and a bicycle program including bike racks, lockers and pumps. More than 300 of the 1,400 employees who work in the downtown Milwaukee headquarters participate in these programs.