Blu. to lease 55 LNG tractors from Ryder in Salt Lake City, Utah and
Atlanta, Georgia
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial
transportation and supply
chain management solutions, announced today that Blu.,
an operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling stations and
provider of LNG technology solutions, has selected Ryder to provide LNG
vehicles for Blu. fleets in Utah and Georgia. This represents the first
time Ryder has partnered with a fuel station operator to launch a
natural gas vehicle offering.
“This unique partnership demonstrates Ryder’s commitment to finding
innovative ways to increase adoption of natural gas vehicle technology
among commercial fleets,” stated
Dennis Cooke
, President, Global Fleet
Management Solutions for Ryder. “We have successfully implemented a
number of different models for launching natural gas vehicle projects –
from public/private partnerships to working directly with private
fleets. Collaborating with a fuel station operator like Blu. is one more
way we are helping customers overcome entry barriers, test the
technology, understand the economics, and experience the cost saving and
environmental benefits of running a natural gas fleet.”
Blu. has signed a Full
Service Lease agreement with Ryder for 30 LNG tractors in Salt Lake
City, Utah and 25 LNG tractors in Atlanta, Ga. as part of an effort to
increase adoption of natural gas vehicles among commercial fleets in
those markets. These are Ryder’s first natural gas vehicle projects in
Utah and Georgia. With a Full Service Lease, Ryder acquires vehicles
according to customers’ specifications, and provides financing,
maintenance and value-added fleet support services, and then manages
vehicle disposal to protect customers from residual risk.
Blu. began to take delivery of vehicles in September for its Salt Lake
City fleet and will take delivery of vehicles for its Atlanta fleet in
January. Blu. will make natural gas vehicles available to companies in
these markets that are interested in testing the LNG trucks in their
fleets for a first-hand opportunity to measure the results and savings
that come from adopting a lower-cost fuel. Ryder is making investments
to upgrade its existing maintenance facilities, one in Salt Lake City
and one at its Fulton Industrial Center location outside of Atlanta, to
meet the unique specifications required to service natural gas vehicles.
Ryder and Blu. have also entered into an agreement to jointly provide
LNG fueling infrastructure at key Ryder facilities. The Fulton
Industrial Center location will be the first of these co-located
stations, supporting Ryder’s contract customers and will accept all
major fleet cards.
“We are very excited to be working with Ryder,” said
Merritt Norton
, CEO
of Blu. “Working with a partner of their caliber allows us to bring
logistics and transportation companies unparalleled access to this
low-cost, clean, and domestic fuel.”
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Blu. builds and operates liquefied
natural gas fueling stations throughout the U.S. and provides LNG
technology solutions for trucking, mining, marine, and other industrial
applications. It currently has 12 stations operational and expects to
have more than 40 stations operational across the country by the end of
2013.
Ryder has deployed more than 320 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles with more than 40 Ryder customers
in California, New York, Michigan, Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana. Ryder
also operates Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) fuel stations
at its facilities in Fontana and Orange, Ca. For more information about
how Ryder innovates for the environment, read our Corporate
Sustainability Report.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply
chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a
component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard &
Poor’s 500 Index. Ryder has been ranked three years in a row as one of
the top 250 U.S. companies in the Newsweek Green Rankings. Ryder
is a charter member of the NGV Fleet Forum and a member of the
Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets partnership. Ryder is also
a recipient of the 2011 NGV Achievement Award and has been recognized by
the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership
Index. A member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program,
Ryder is proud to support national and local disaster preparedness and
response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com
and follow us on Facebook,
YouTube,
and Twitter.
About Blu.
Blu. is dedicated to building the infrastructure and enabling technology
to drive energy independence in the United States. Natural gas is a
clean, abundant, and low-cost alternative to gas and diesel that can
scale to meet our country's energy needs far into the future. Blu.
provides total customer solutions for the transportation industry,
including trucking, mining, marine, and industrial applications. For
more information, visit www.BluLNG.com
or follow us on Facebook
and YouTube.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements
and information included in this news release are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are
subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly,
these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration
given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results and events to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New
risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management
to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks
on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Source: Ryder System, Inc.