AT&T's Alternative-Fuel Fleet to Cross 15,000 Vehicles by 2019

AT&T (News - Alert) has announced the company’s plan to invest up to $565 million as part of a long-term strategy to deploy more than 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles over the next 10 years.

 

Randall Stephenson, chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Inc. said that, AT&T and other U.S. corporations have a unique opportunity to partner with the new administration as it works to lead the country out of this economic downturn.

 

“While there are no easy solutions to the challenges facing our nation, this investment is a first step on our part to help boost other industries while at the same time encouraging wider use and production of efficient vehicles and domestic fuel alternatives," he said.

 

The company said it plans to spend $350 million to purchase about 8,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles and approximately $215 million to begin replacing its passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

 

Alternative models will save around 49 million gallons of gasoline and reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons over the 10-year deployment period, according to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

 

Officials atAT&T said that they expect to replace 7,100 passenger cars over the next 10 years. The alternative-fuel vehicles, which will be used by employees in a variety of diverse work functions across AT&T's operations, are expected to offer up to a 39 percent improvement in fuel economy and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 29 percent.

 

U.S. automotive manufacturer will take charge of building the vehicle chassis for AT&T, and other domestic suppliers will aid the company to convert the chassis to run on CNG. AT&T will also work with natural gas service providers to build up to 40 new CNG fuelling stations across its operating region to provide the fuelling infrastructure needed for the new vehicles.

 

CAR predicts that the overall investment strategy will have a positive impact on job creation and preservation and even estimates that nearly 1,000 jobs will be created or saved each year for five years.

"Economic times are tough, but tough times make it even more important to look for efficient solutions," said Stephenson. "This is part of a long-term strategy that will help us continue to cut operating costs, reduce emissions in the communities we serve and make our business even more sustainable."