Fuel Conservation & Alternative Fuel
Source:
Food 4 less
Fuel Conservation
We are focused on managing our own large vehicle fleet more efficiently. Our 1,350 trucks and 7,100 trailers travel a total of 190 million miles per year, delivering goods from manufacturing facilities and distribution centers to our stores.
Initiatives we have taken to conserve fuel include:
· Improving miles per gallon by adjusting engine idling times and gear speed settings and setting recommended top speeds of 62 miles per hour or the state limit if lower.
· We’ve reduced the weight of tractors and trailers by cutting the weight of new tractors by approximately 900 pounds. This 5% reduction in tractor weight translates to increased payload capability.
We have reduced the number of miles our fleet travels by using special vehicles such as multi-temperature refrigerated trucks, super trucks and backhauls that enable us to combine loads and shorten trips.
Alternative Fuel
We are at the forefront in the U.S. in making ethanol fuel, or E85, available to customers. More than 35 fuel stations in Kentucky, Ohio and Texas offer E85 fuel, which is a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol, a renewable, domestic fuel.
Using this type of fuel may reduce greenhouse gases and the nation’s dependence on petroleum.
We are committed to making this renewable, domestic fuel available for customers who choose to use it. E85 flexible fuel vehicles can use both traditional gasoline and E85 fuel, which is a blend of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol.
We are also exploring additional opportunities to offer customers E85 fuel throughout the U.S. as consumer demand grows. We believe that demand will grow as alternative fuel becomes more conveniently available.