PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay has opened its first compressed natural gas fueling station in Beloit, Wis., and announced that it will break ground on seven public CNG fueling stations across the US by the end of the year.
Questar Fueling and Trillium CNG will build the seven CNG fueling stations.
Also in 2013, the company says it will grow its CNG fleet, bringing its total number of CNG tractors to 208. Once deployed, the 208 CNG tractors will make up 20 percent of Frito-Lay’s fleet and will be located at 50 percent of production locations.
The new CNG fueling stations will provide fuel for these tractors and will also make available fuel for other companies. The seven new fueling stations, along with three other stations that will be in operation this year, will begin at a total expected annual volume of 2 million gallons and grow to a little over 8 million gallons in five years.
When all 208 CNG tractors are in service, the company says it will eliminate 7,863 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.
The State of Wisconsin and the US Department of Energy also helped fund Frito-Lay’s investment in Beloit.
In the US, Frito-Lay has set a goal to reduce its total fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2020, compared to 2007 baseline.
Frito-Lay, in addition to CNG vehicles, has introduced all-electric trucks to its delivery fleet. In 2012 the company announced it would purchase 100 all-electric commercial vehicles from Smith Electric Vehicles, bringing the total number of its electric fleet to more than 280. These electric trucks eliminate the need for approximately 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.
