UPS Will Try a Cleaner Fuel

A test program aimed at reducing air pollution in the smoggy Los Angeles Basin by converting United Parcel Service’s huge delivery fleet to using natural gas as an alternative fuel was disclosed Tuesday.

Mayor Tom Bradley and representatives of UPS and Southern California Gas Co. jointly announced that UPS will convert 20 of its delivery vans to natural gas and operate them in downtown Los Angeles next year.

If the test is successful, UPS said, it will convert its entire fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles in the Los Angeles Basin to natural gas over the next five years.

The gas company will help in the conversion and provide gas and a truck-refueling station.

Running the entire UPS fleet on natural gas could result in an annual reduction of 1,177 tons of carbon monoxide, 67.3 tons of nitrogen oxide, 55.4 tons of carbon dioxide and 10 tons of hydrocarbons in the basin, officials estimate.

“We are looking forward to pursuing this effort in Los Angeles and to sharing the knowledge we gain with the city and its citizens,” said Siro DeGasperis, a UPS vice president. “We feel that our efforts will contribute to a safer and healthier environment in the Los Angeles Basin.”

Bradley congratulated UPS for its commitment. He called the planned conversion a “major breakthrough” in the use of alternative fuels because natural gas burns cleaner and is cheaper than gasoline.

“The emissions generated by this new fuel should significantly reduce the toxic materials spewed into the air,” the mayor said.

The Los Angeles test follows a similar program in New York City, where UPS converted 10 delivery vans to natural gas with the help of Brooklyn Union Gas Co.

It is estimated that the test resulted in an 85% reduction in carbon monoxide, 25% less nitrogen oxide, 23% less carbon dioxide and 13% less hydrocarbons from those vehicles.

DeGasperis said UPS plans to expand its natural gas-conversion program to “most urban areas with air quality problems.” According to UPS, the Greenwich, Conn.-based firm operates 103,000 vehicles in serving more than a million customers around the world.

Another move intended to cut air pollution is scheduled to be announced by Ford Motor Co. at a press conference today in Los Angeles. The auto maker is expected to offer Los Angeles-area residents a bonus for trading in older cars without pollution-control equipment on the purchase of some new Ford models.

In still other efforts to reduce smog, Unocal Corp. is offering free smog checks and emission control tune-ups on pre-1975 cars at participating Unocal 76 stations. Shell Oil Co. is marketing a special gas manufactured to reduce pollution emissions.