Terrified by peak oil, FedEx turns to biofuels, efficiency

Posted by Big Gav in fedex, peak oil

Grist has a look at FedEx's efforts to reduce the company's exposure to oil prices and availability - Terrified by peak oil, FedEx turns to biofuels, efficiency.

FedEx owns 700 planes and tens of thousands of trucks, which is why CEO Fred Smith is crazy for energy efficiency, reports NPR.
Shortly after Smith founded Federal Express, the 1973 Arab oil embargo almost killed it. The experience imprinted Smith with a keen interest in the price and availability of oil.

FedEx’s forthcoming all-electric pickup and delivery vans will cost one-quarter as much to operate per mile as their gasoline equivalents, says Smith. He also predicts that electric vehicles will be in wide commercial use in about six years.

In the future, he sees his jets being powered by algae-based fuels, and his long-haul trucks running on natural gas. Smith is a staunch Republican, by the way, and a perfect example of how energy efficiency is a no-brainer that cuts across political lines.

1 comments

Alice Ann Belle says 1:23 PM

The only way to remain a world power is to have a cost-effective and sustainable supply of it. The recent increase in gas prices has once again brought the issue of energy policy to the forefront of the American psyche.

More on: http://chriscrosby.net/blog/2012/03/16/americas-gas-pains/