UPS Hybrid Electric Delivery Van Evaluations

Photo of a UPS delivery van with the words "low emission hybrid electric vehicle" on its side.

The United Parcel Service operates hybrid electric package-delivery vans to reduce the fuel use and emissions of its fleet.
Photo courtesy of UPS

NREL has a long history of working in partnership with the United Parcel Service (UPS) to track and evaluate the in-service performance of its diesel hybrid electric vehicles.

First-Generation Hybrid Vans

In 2008, NREL evaluated the first-generation hybrid delivery vans operated by UPS in Phoenix, Arizona, and found that the hybrid vans demonstrated 29%–37% higher fuel economy than comparable conventional diesel vans.

NREL's follow-up evaluation of these vehicles over three years of operation showed that the hybrid vans demonstrated 23% higher fuel economy than the conventional diesel vans.

Publications

The following documents provide detailed information about the study.

Second-Generation Hybrid Vans

In 2010, UPS deployed 200 second-generation hybrid vans among eight U.S. cities. NREL evaluated the performance of 11 of these second-generation hybrid vans and 11 comparable conventional diesel vans operated by UPS in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over an 18-month period. The second-generation hybrids included more advanced control algorithms and an "engine off at idle" feature.

The hybrid vans demonstrated 13%–20% higher fuel economy than the conventional vans during the on-road portion of the study. The two vehicle groups switched route assignments during the study period to provide a balanced review of the vans on the same routes.

During dynamometer evaluation at NREL's Renewable Fuels and Lubricants Laboratory, the hybrids showed a 13%–36% improvement in fuel economy (depending on drive cycle) and up to a 45% improvement in ton-miles-per-gallon.

Publications

The following documents provide detailed information about the study.