AT&T Adds New Hybrids To Tulsa Employee Fleet
CLEAN MACHINES: Oklahoma statesmen joined AT&T representatives to display the new hybrid vehicles to be adopted by the company over the next 10 years. From left are Sen. Bill Brown, Rep. Weldon Watson and AT&T representatives Mike Cooper, Craig Eiland and Jeff Graves.
DANIEL C. CAMERON for GTR Newspapers
AT&T announced on Aug. 2 the delivery of six new 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid cars to AT&T locations in Tulsa. The delivery is part of AT&T’s 10-year initiative to spend about $565 million to replace more than 15,000 fleet vehicles with alternative fuel models through 2018.
The new vehicles will be used by local employees and are part of 16 hybrid cars delivered to AT&T locations across Oklahoma in the last few weeks, says Mike Cooper, AT&T area manager of external affairs.
“Since last year, AT&T has been replacing its older-model vehicles with new hybrid cars and service vans powered by compressed natural gas (),” Cooper says. “We’re excited about the opportunities this initiative provides to reduce our carbon emissions and lower our company’s overall fuel costs.”
Last year, AT&T Oklahoma announced the delivery of 30 -powered vans to its fleet in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. That move was prompted in part by tax incentives for alternative fuel vehicles developed by Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge and state Sen. Brian Bingman. That measure also was supported by local legislators state Sen. Gary Stanislawski and Rep. Weldon Watson.
Earlier this year, AT&T announced the deployment of the 2,000th alternative fuel vehicle and 1,500th vehicle in its corporate vehicle fleet, giving it one of the largest vehicle fleets in the U.S.
AT&T anticipates purchasing approximately 8,000 vehicles over a five-year span, at an anticipated cost of $350 million.
AT&T expects to spend an additional $215 million through 2018 to replace 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative fuel models. According to the Center for Automotive Research (), AT&T’s alternative fuel vehicle initiative will:
• Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period.
• Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons, the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 147,929 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.
“The deployment of our 2,000th alternative fuel vehicle is a significant milestone in an ongoing effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” says Jerome Webber, vice president, AT&T Fleet Operations. “To continue making progress, we are working with our suppliers and local municipalities to encourage the expansion of support infrastructure, which would allow the introduction of more fuel efficient vehicles in communities around the U.S.,” he adds.
Updated 08-23-2010
READER COMMENTS
