AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
- Company honored for creating the largest private fleet of compressed natural gas-powered heavy-duty vehicles in the
state of Michigan
- Detroit terminal's 179 Class 8 tractors all transitioned from diesel to CNG in late
2015
- Initiative aims to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 16,000 tons and fuel costs by about 35 percent per year
Natural Gas Vehicles for America presented FCA US LLC
the 2016 NGV Achievement Award, celebrating the Company's $40 million investment to changeover all
179 Detroit-based parts-haulers to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than traditional diesel. The move gave FCA US the largest private fleet of CNG-powered heavy-duty vehicles in the state of Michigan.
The NGV Achievement Awards recognize national innovators and early adopters for their outstanding leadership, vision and
innovation to advance natural gas as a vehicular fuel. The award ceremony was held Wednesday, May
4, at the 2016 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Southern California.
"FCA US is constantly looking for ways to break new ground and improve our sustainability,"
said Steve Beahm, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management, FCA – North America. "To make this bold move, we conducted more than two years of research and planning, executed
an extensive pilot program with CNG trucks and provided more than 6,000 hours of training to our drivers and skilled trades
people. We look forward to seeing how other companies embrace CNG to transform their fleets."
FCA Transport's Detroit Terminal, built in 1965, is located on Lynch Road in Detroit, just
across from the Detroit City Airport. The Company spent $1.8 million to enable the
36,000-square-foot maintenance facility to handle the new CNG-powered fleet. The $5 million on-site
CNG fueling station, designed and built by TruStar Energy, is the largest private CNG station in North
America.
"FCA US is now among an elite group of national fleets who have taken an ambitious step to
reduce dependence on foreign oil while reducing their operating costs," said Matthew Godlewski,
President, Natural Gas Vehicles for America. "As the nation's largest fleets continue to both reduce environmental impact and
improve bottom line, we look to companies like FCA US to help pave the roads for other fleet
managers as they determine which technologies and efficiency measures will garner the greatest return on investment."
FCA US has a history of being a pioneer in the area of CNG. The Ram 2500 Compressed Natural Gas
truck is the industry's first factory-built pickup powered by CNG, offering fleet and commercial customers the cost and emissions
benefits of this domestically sourced fuel.
Nominees were submitted by NGVAmerica members who then selected the winners after a thorough review of
submissions.
About NGVAmerica
NGVAmerica is the national organization driving the use of natural gas as a clean, domestic, safe and abundant transportation
fuel. The organization represents more than 230 companies, environmental groups and government organizations interested in the
promotion and use of natural gas in transportation. For more information about NGVAmerica, visit www.ngvamerica.org.
About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn
Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of
companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep,
Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C
model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the
innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded
in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni
Agnelli.
FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA
is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol
"FCA."
Follow FCA US news and video on:
FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com
Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com
Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com
FCA360: 360.fcanorthamerica.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChryslerGroup
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/chryslergroup/
Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fcacorporate
Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA
Streetfire: www.streetfire.net/uploaded/chryslervideo.htm
Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA
Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol
YouTube: www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo
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SOURCE FCA US LLC