AT&T plans to buy stripped-down van bodies and add compressed natural gas tanks. Upgrades to the 5.4-liter V-8 engine engines will be needed.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel, but burning it produces about 25 percent less carbon emissions than gasoline, AT&T said in its announcement Wednesday.
“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,” said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.
AT&T said it would spend about $350 million on 8,000 compressed natural gas vehicles, mostly trucks, and approximately $215 million to begin replacing its passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.
The company will initially buy the trucks from Ford and have them converted by other firms to run on natural gas. It also plans to push for 40 new natural-gas fueling stations to be built in the states where it operates.
The vehicle chassis will be built domestically by a U.S. automotive manufacturer and then converted by domestic suppliers to run on CNG. The vehicle chassis will be built domestically by a U.S. automotive manufacturer. AT&T will also work with natural gas service providers to build up to 40 new CNG refuelling stations across its operating region to provide the infrastructure required to fuel the vehicles.
The company will replace gasoline-powered passenger vehicles in its fleet, used by employees for a variety of diverse work functions, as they are retired. During the initial phase of the deployment, they will be replaced with hybrid models; as technologies evolve, additional alternative-fuel vehicle types will be considered for inclusion.
In 2009, the company will deploy nearly 800 of the CNG and hybrid-electric vehicles.
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