Province, Businesses Deliver Fuel-efficient Vehicles
Nova Scotia will soon have more fuel-efficient trucks on the road through the transportation and technology programs announced a year ago.
Bill Estabrooks, Minister responsible for Conserve Nova Scotia, joined Tom Schmitt, president and CEO of Purolator, in Dartmouth today, Dec. 2, to launch the company's new fleet of 43 hybrid electric delivery trucks.
"Purolator has made fuel-efficient technologies a priority and is setting a great example for other businesses in the province," said Mr. Estabrooks. 'We're hopeful that the data they share from their hybrid electric delivery trucks over the next year will allow others to see how a commitment to green initiatives makes good business sense."
Purolator's entire fleet in urban areas of Halifax Regional Municipality will be hybrid electric. This technology is most effective in areas with frequent stops.
Purolator will monitor and share vehicle data, providing an opportunity to assess range, maintenance requirements, savings of fuel and emissions and performance in fleet situations, including cold weather operation.
"As our company turns 50, Purolator is proud to continue to lead the industry towards green alternatives, said Mr. Schmitt. "In 2005, Purolator was the first logistics company in Canada to introduce hybrid electric vehicles. Today, we have the largest fleet in North America."
Last December, the province offered funding to encourage organizations to add hybrid delivery and bucket trucks to their Nova Scotia fleets, and to make fuel-efficient upgrades to school buses, and freight tractors and trailers. Organizations received a portion of the cost to upgrade to specific hybrid or fuel-efficient technologies. In exchange, they committed to monitor and share vehicle data for measurement and evaluation.
In total, $4.4 million was contributed to partially fund fuel-efficient technologies for trucks and buses by Conserve Nova Scotia and the ecoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. The ecoNova Scotia fund distributes funding from a $42.5 million grant from the federal government. All ecoNova Scotia funding has now been committed. The fuel-efficient transportation programs were administered by Conserve Nova Scotia.
Other fuel-efficient transportation investments through the fund include a hybrid electric bucket truck, fuel-reducing technologies for 900 school buses, 125 freight tractors and more than 600 trailers throughout the province.