USPS Delivers Alternative Fuel Success
USPS Delivers Alternative Fuel Success
A Northland District letter carrier fills up his FFV with E85 at a nearby fueling station.
The Northland District of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) believes in using E85. Considering its home base of Minnesota, this attitude is not surprising. The state has more than 125 ethanol fueling sites–the highest concentration in the country.
The Northland District provides mail service for most of Minnesota and part of Wisconsin and is a valuable partner of the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition (TC4). Its alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) of choice are flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are capable of using gasoline or gasoline-ethanol mixtures up to E85. “We have the opportunity to use E85 because so many stations offer E85 in Minnesota,” says Robert Kunowski, the Northland District’s Manager of Vehicle Maintenance. “We should be leaders because we have the opportunity.”
The USPS Northland District is covered under Executive Order 13149, which requires federal fleets to reduce petroleum consumption by 20% by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2005, compared to their FY 1999 consumption levels. The district is also covered under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which requires federal fleets to acquire AFVs as 75% of their light-duty vehicle acquisitions each year.
Of the district’s 3,594 light-duty vehicles, 525 are FFVs. These include 324 light delivery trucks, 167 minivans, and 34 administrative vehicles. The district tracks fuel use for the light delivery trucks, which mainly fuel at commercial stations. In 2004, the trucks used 214,000 gallons of E85, up 29% from the year before. Kunowski estimates that the FFV delivery trucks use E85 85% to 90% of the time.
How has the Northland District achieved such high E85 use? “We position our FFVs so they are near stations that offer E85,” says Kunowski. “And if FFV drivers don’t use E85, we take the vehicles away from them and assign them to drivers who will use E85.” This is a big incentive to use E85 because the district’s non-FFV delivery trucks are 10 to 20 years old, and drivers much prefer the model year 2000-2001 FFVs. The district’s 2005 goal is 95% E85 use among its FFV delivery trucks.
Asked to give advice on establishing a successful alternative fuel program, Kunowski emphasizes the importance of an accurate fuel use tracking system. “You have to have good facts and data to make good decisions,” he says. He also stresses educating managers and staff on E85 goals and procedures and designing the program to be cost effective. “You need to balance the cost with the environmental benefits of alternative fuels,” says Kunowski. “And remember, we only get one environment.”