The new hybrids will be used in New York City. Verizon has purchased them using rebates offered through the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program. It is the largest purchase of new vans in the history of the program and supports Governor Andrew Cuomo’s aggressive clean energy goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.
The 234 new Verizon vans utilize technology installed by XL Hybrids, Inc., helping to increase fuel economy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Verizon has already upgraded some of its fleet to hybrids, but this is the largest commitment the company has made to date, helping it to achieve its corporate goal of reducing its carbon intensity by 50 percent over the next decade.
“Verizon and XL Hybrids are terrific examples of how companies can take advantage of the state’s efforts to drive adoption of clean vehicles” said NYSERDA President and CEO Alicia Barton. “Transportation emissions are the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in our state, and efforts to transition fleets to lower emission technologies are vital to meeting Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading clean energy goals.”
James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon, added that given the size of the company and the number of people it connects with across the globe, Verizon has a unique opportunity and responsibility to have a positive impact on the environment.
The Truck Voucher Incentive Program provides point of sale rebates to reduce the cost for businesses and municipalities wanting to purchase new clean vehicles or retrofit commercial vehicles and buses into hybrids, natural gas vehicles or zero-emission vehicles. The rebate reduces the incremental costs of purchasing advanced alternative fuel technology heavy-duty trucks and buses by up to 80 percent.
Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo announced the Drive Clean Rebate initiative, which has already provided more than $3 million in rebates to New Yorkers for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles.
Verizon and XL Hybrids are using wireless data connectivity systems in all hybrid-electric vans in the program, including the XL Link cloud-based big data analytics system. XL Link can report fuel economy performance, and track key performance indicators like idling, vehicle duty cycle, carbon dioxide emissions, and vehicle uptime.
Image: XL Hybrids
For additional information:
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
