The United Parcel Service, Inc. will be deploying electric delivery trucks in Houston, TX. The trucks are an attempt of the company to eliminate emissions in the state and to reduce the need for diesel consumption.
UPS will be deploying 18 delivery trucks that uses electricity as power sources in Houston, TX. It is the company's attempt to reduce diesel consumption to at least 1.1 million gallons over the next 20 years. The electric trucks are also in addition to their hybrid fleet and natural gas vehicles.
Improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in Texas is only but a scratch on the surface of what is truly possible. But the deployment of electric trucks in Houston as part of improving the company's services are one of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, since the pollution levels exceed what is currently allowed under the law.
With the aid of the Texas Department of Energy, UPS was able to purchase the electric trucks. It is also a part of the company's project to create new electric vehicles for its delivery systems.
Technological advancements are great, but there are simple solutions in some cases. In Berlin, postal services like FedEx and DHL use bicycles to deliver packages and snail mails. These are no ordinary bikes and its riders are not the typical tattooed and long-bearded messengers often seen in major cities in the United States. Also, the bikes and its riders are not meant for fair weather.
Bicycles are commonly designed so it will be able to pull a small cart on its back to carry heavy loads. The front wheels assist an electric motor that helps pull it up the hills. The cargo and the rider have rain gears with them to keep everything waterless and dry. And the best part of it was that bike owners can park on sidewalks while making deliveries, unlike trucks that have to put on blinkers and blocks a traffic lane.
Bicycles cannot beat electric trucks in terms of delivery speed, as electric vehicles are becoming popular in terms of its usage and luxury. Then again, there are cases that the best technology already exists and people need to realize it.
