Coke bottler to add 185 hybrid delivery trucks

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises announced Friday that it will add 185 hybrid electric delivery trucks to its fleet in 2009, more than doubling the largest hybrid delivery truck fleet in North America.

The announcement was made as the EPA presented CCE with the first Southeast Diesel Collaborative Leadership Award, designed to recognize exemplary efforts to reduce emissions.

CCE is the largest bottler of Coca-Cola Co. products, handling most of the volume in North America and parts of Europe.

The new CCE trucks will bring its total hybrid delivery truck fleet to 327. The additions include 150 tractor trailers, the largest hybrid electric delivery trucks in North America, and 35 smaller 12-bay delivery trucks, the vehicles with the roll-up doors along the sides.

The hybrids, which work on both diesel and electric power, reduce emissions by at least 30 percent and increase fuel efficiency by at least 30 percent compared to regular diesel trucks.

Sustainability, or environmentally friendly, projects such as the hybrid vehicles are key for the company, said John Brock, CCE chairman and CEO.

“It’s important because it’s the right thing to do for business,” Brock said in a ceremony at CCE’s Atlanta headquarters. “And it’s important because it’s the right thing to do for the environment, for our planet.”

The hybrid fleet will cost more up-front, he said. The hybrid tractor trailers cost $95,000, compared to $68,000 for a non-hybrid. But even with today’s oil prices, hybrids should have a payback of four to five years, Brock said.

The hybrids will be deployed across the United States and Canada. Metro Atlanta already has 10 CCE hybrid trucks and will get 10 more by the end of the year.

The EPA applauded CCE for its efforts. “CCE is a role model for fleets worldwide,” said Stanley Meiburg, a deputy regional administrator for the EPA.

Gov. Sonny Perdue also was on hand to congratulate CCE. In addition to the broader environmental advantages, the trucks could have a direct, tangible impact on Georgia residents, Perdue said.

Electric power is most useful on hybrids in stop-and-go traffic, cutting down on noise and emissions as the trucks make their way through a city.

“When you pull up next to that Coca-Cola truck, that red Coca-Cola truck you’re so familiar with,” Perdue said, “you can roll your window down and enjoy life.”