TNT Australia is set to expand its hybrid truck fleet – already Australia’s largest – with the acquisition of another 24 Hino 300 Series Hybrids in the coming months.
These will add to the 30 hybrid trucks already on its fleet and replace regular diesel-powered vehicles – a move that will reduce the company’s carbon footprint further while easing its reliance on fossil fuels.
The news follows a recent internal study which indicated TNT’s 30 existing hybrid trucks had emitted 112 fewer tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere than comparable diesel-powered trucks over a four-year period.
The study compared 29 hybrid-powered trucks with 29 regular diesel-powered trucks that had the same in-service date range between August 2010 and June 2014 and operated from the same depots.
The TNT Hino 300 Series Hybrid trucks travelled a combined total of 2.89 million kilometres in the 2010–14 period, emitting 39 fewer grams of CO2 per kilometre than their diesel equivalents.
TNT National Fleet and Equipment Manager Kurt Grossrieder said hybrid vehicles had provided substantial benefits to both the business and the environment.
“Our hybrid vehicles have proven that they are not only up to the task in bolstering our delivery network and providing our drivers with a safe and dependable vehicle: they’re doing this in a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly manner,” Mr Grossrieder said.
“The 24 new hybrid trucks will expand our hybrid fleet and once again reduce our total output of greenhouse gases while using less fuel, which is a positive step for TNT and the environment.”
TNT’s Hino 300 Series Hybrids are underpinned by a 100kW diesel engine and 36kW electric motor that optimises fuel use and emissions according to driving conditions and driver input.
They can even run in electric drive-only EV mode in stop-start traffic, depending on the level of battery charge.