Verizon reaches out to Steelweld for CNG conversion vans, will add 260 hybrids to fleet

Steelweld Equipment Co. Is Converting 300 Vans From Gasoline Power to Compressed Natural Gas to Reduce Verizon’s Carbon Footprint

HEMET, Calif. – October 5, 2010 –

Verizon’s first major introduction of environmentally-friendly compressed natural gas vehicles to its truck fleets in California is being led by workers at the Hemet facility of Steelweld Equipment Co., a woman-owned business headquartered in St. Clair, Mo.

Verizon has contracted with Steelweld to convert 300 gasoline-powered Ford E-250 cargo vans to CNG, a move that will reduce vehicle carbon emissions by 480 tons per year. On average, CNG engines emit 23 percent less carbon dioxide than comparable gasoline-powered vans.

The 300 new vans being retrofitted by Steelweld will be used in Southern California by Verizon technicians who install and repair broadband, TV and voice communications services for the company’s residential and small-business customers.

“Adding lower-carbon alternative-fuel vehicles to our fleet is just one of the ways Verizon is reducing greenhouse gas emissions in communities we serve,” said Tim McCallion, Verizon’s West region president. “Verizon is also upgrading its building and network infrastructure for greater energy efficiency, and we have built the most advanced communications systems available.”

In 2008, Verizon was the first service provider in America to establish its own energy-consumption standards for new telecommunications network equipment to reduce its energy consumption and help shrink the company’s carbon footprint.

“Since then, we’ve taken more steps to work with network equipment manufacturers to increase the energy efficiency of our operations, like reducing the heat output of chipsets and circuit boards to curb the need for air conditioning in our switching facilities,” said Margaret Serjak, Verizon’s operations president in California. “These new CNG vans aren’t the first alternative fuel vehicles we’ve deployed in California, but they constitute one of our largest introductions to date.”

The 300 vans are among the more than 1,600 alternative energy vehicles that Verizon plans to add to its nationwide fleet this year. It is estimated that the program will reduce the fleet’s CO2 emissions by more than 2,400 metric tons annually.

Assemblymember Pedro Nava, chairman of the California Assembly’s Select Committee on the state’s Green Economy, said: “This is another example of how Verizon is setting an example for other large companies with its ongoing efforts to be environmentally friendly. Verizon is reducing its carbon footprint, and is buying from California companies involved in the green economy.”

In keeping with Verizon’s commitment to supplier diversity, the vans were purchased from a minority-owned Ford dealership and retrofitted by a woman-owned business, Steelweld. These relationships stimulate economic development and tap into the innovation and entrepreneurship that companies like Verizon need to win in a competitive marketplace.

“At a time when the economy remains uncertain, Verizon’s CNG vehicle order is enabling Steelweld to keep our employees at work in our factory in Hemet,” said Elaine Hunter, owner of Steelweld. “Initiatives like Verizon’s are good for the environment and the local economy.”

In addition to replacing traditional fuel vehicles with cleaner, lower-carbon alternatives, Verizon employees have been reducing CO2 emissions by cutting engine idling times. Since 2008, Verizon employees have conserved more than 2.7 million gallons of fuel in this manner, the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas emitted by about 4,580 vehicles annually.

To learn more about how Verizon is reducing the environmental impact of its operations, visit http://newscenter.verizon.com/kit/green-press-kit/ or http://responsibility.verizon.com/.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – September 30, 2010 –

Verizon will add more than 260 hybrid vehicles to its New Jersey fleet this year as part of its ongoing commitment to conserving fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to improved air quality in the communities it serves across the Garden State.

Verizon New Jersey officials, joined by Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), made the announcement Thursday (Sept. 30) at the company’s corporate center in Basking Ridge.

The new vehicles – part of the 1,600 alternative-energy vehicles Verizon plans to add to its fleet across the country this year – will include Toyota hybrid sedans, Chevrolet hybrid pickup trucks and unique, new “mild hybrid” aerial fiber splicing trucks.

The Chevrolet hybrid pickups will be used by FiOS and traditional telephone customer-service technicians and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 43 percent over the vans they will replace.

From left to right are Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey; Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon.

The aerial fiber splicing trucks are equipped with an aerial lift device, or “bucket,” for aerial line work and an environmentally controlled body compartment for splicing fiber-optic cable. The lift, splicing equipment and climate controls are powered by lithium-ion batteries, eliminating the need for a gasoline- or diesel-powered generator. This will save approximately one gallon of petroleum fuel consumption per hour of operation and reduce six to 12 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually per aerial truck, depending on usage. Verizon used this mild hybrid solution because conventional hybrid technology offers little benefit for equipment such as aerial splicer trucks with typically low-mileage drive cycles.

Martin reviewed a couple of the hybrid vehicles on display at the corporate center and talked with members of the company’s fleet management team about the benefits of the new vehicles.

“I commend Verizon and its employees for their enthusiasm, vision and commitment to the environment,” Martin said. “Verizon’s new hybrid fleet will save gasoline, reduce emissions and perhaps even inspire people to consider purchasing hybrid vehicles for themselves. Companies such as Verizon are leading us into the future by implementing projects such as this that protect the environment while driving economic growth.”

James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon, said, “Using lower-carbon alternatives to power our fleet and our highly intelligent broadband networks are just some of the ways we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Verizon employees have also been reducing CO2 emissions by cutting engine idling times. Since 2008, Verizon employees have conserved more than 2.7 million gallons of fuel, the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas emitted by about 4,580 vehicles annually.

To learn more about how Verizon is reducing the environmental impact of its operations, visit http://newscenter.verizon.com/kit/green-press-kit/ or http://responsibility.verizon.com/.