Interest in Alternative Fuel Fleet Vehicles Growing

In recent survey conducted by GE Capital, progressive interest was indicated for the addition of alternative fuel vehicles to fleets over the next five years.  The survey focused on responses from 400 executives who oversee fleet vehicles for middle-market companies, (ranging from $10 million to $1 billion in sales.)  Nearly half of the executives surveyed said they anticipated adding alternative fuel vehicles over the next few years, primarily as a way to lower fuel costs for their customers.  These numbers show a substantial future growth possibility for the alternative fuel fleet vehicle sector, considering at the time of the survey, only 4 percent of the companies surveyed already had operating alternative fuel vehicles to offer.

Currently, executives of these fleet companies say that their largest expenses were maintenance and fuel, and most predicted those expenses to rise even more next year.  Both general vehicle upkeep and unexpected repairs factor into these costs.  With unstable gas prices continuing to rise, the most see the value of alternative fuel fleet vehicles to be a possible solution to the growing problem.

Natural gas conversion allows for an answer to both issues: natural gas is cheaper than diesel fuel and it runs cleaner which is easier on the vehicle, lowering annual maintenance costs and, often times, extending the life of the vehicle.  Furthermore, the environmental benefits of converting fleet vehicles to natural gas are tremendous, producing anywhere from 35 to 75 percent less nitrogen oxide, 21 percent fewer greenhouse gasses, and over 50 percent less particulates, not to mention the air quality benefits from NGVs having zero evaporative emissions.

The executives  surveyed found this was the right time to start adding alternative fuel vehicles to their fleets.  The benefits from cost savings in fuel and maintenance alone are enough to justify the investment, and todays environmentally minded customer expects a green option.  Call our offices today at 913.310.0705 and check out our page on alternative vehicles at WorldwideEnergy.com for more information.

Source: Kathleen Burke, AutoNews.com