FedEx hits road with electric vehicles

FEDEX yesterday said it was deploying the first batch of 48 electric vehicles in 13 Chinese cities to replace its traditional gasoline-fuel vehicles.

The largest electric vehicle deployment in the Asia Pacific Region for FedEx enables the logistic giant to save about 2,500 liters of fuel and avoid around 6.7 tons of CO2 and other emissions per vehicle each year, the FedEx Express said.

The EG10 and EV80 electric vehicles from SAIC Maxus are equipped with advanced pure electric power systems that achieve zero emissions. They can travel more than 220 kilometers when fully charged, and carry up to 1.5 tons.

FedEx has more than 2,800 vehicles in China and it will continue to explore the feasibility of expanding the use of clean energy vehicles, the company said.

“We continuously develop and use innovative technologies to reduce our environmental impact,” said Jimmy Chen, regional vice president of FedEx China.

Since 2012, FedEx has been carrying out a nationwide Eco-Drive program to improve fuel efficiency by changing the daily driving habits of FedEx drivers.

It has also been working with a variety of entities to explore innovative technologies and solutions to improve fuel efficiency of its ground fleet.

With a global ground transportation fleet of more than 90,000 motorized vehicles, FedEx Express aims to increase its vehicle efficiency by 50 percent from a 2005 baseline by 2025.

China aims to lead the world in new energy vehicles and plans to phase out fossil fuel vehicles.