A fleet of 100 vans fueled by propane autogas is being fielded by DHL Express in California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Texas. The express services provider has purchased the Ford E-250 cargo vans equipped with a Roush CleanTech dedicated liquid propane autogas fuel system. The new alternative fuel vehicles join other propane vehicles already operating in Ohio, Tennessee and Louisiana. DHL Express plans to use existing public refueling infrastructure, in addition to adding refueling capability at its service center facilities to fuel the new vans.

The DHL fleet worldwide, including Deutsche Post DHL, consists of over 4,000 vehicles powered by alternative fuels or modified for improved fuel-efficiency. Included is an “all-green” fleet in Manhattan with 50 hybrid vans and 30 battery-powered electric trucks.

“Customers in the U.S. and worldwide are increasingly demanding greener logistics and sustainable business procedures,” said Ian Clough, CEO of DHL Express U.S. “Initiatives like our ‘all-green’ fleet in Manhattan and this propane autogas fleet not only lower our DHL carbon footprint, but are a clean and cost-effective choice for our business.”

Deutsche Post DHL’s GOGREEN program is targeted to improve the company’s worldwide carbon efficiency 30% by 2020 using 2007 levels as a baseline. Through the use of propane autogas, the company noted, each alternative fuel vehicle saves over 22,587 lbs. of CO2 emissions each year.

“DHL is internationally known for its green initiatives, and we’re thrilled to partner with them to deliver an alternative fuel solution that lowers operating costs and emissions without compromising vehicle performance,” said Joe Thompson, president of Roush CleanTech. “Our propane autogas-powered Ford vehicles offer the same performance characteristics, warranty coverage and serviceability as gasoline-fueled vehicles.”