Time Warner Cable is joining a government partnership aimed at reducing petroleum use and increase efficiency of its truck fleet, a move that also will help reduce greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming.
Time Warner Cable will join the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleet Partnership, part of the cable company’s “Go Green” initiative, which is on track to meeting its goal of reducing the company’s 2012 carbon intensity by 15% by the end of this year. TWC said it will commit its fleet of 20,000 service trucks and vehicles to the DOE program.
“One of TWC’s core values is a commitment to responsible business practices that positively impact the communities we serve,” Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Rob Marcus said in a statement. “We are very pleased to join this important DOE partnership to help our fleet achieve greater levels of environmental efficiencies. TWC looks forward to working with other large national fleet owners to share best practices that will drive down our fuel consumption, overall vehicle costs and environmental impact.”
The Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership establishes strategic alliances with large private fleets to help them explore and adopt alternative fuels and fuel economy measures to reduce petroleum use. TWC will be provided with technical services, data and assistance to develop a petroleum reduction plan, and be given access to tools and resources to navigate alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. TWC will also have access to information exchange among other Fortune 500 companies that are Clean Fleet Partners.
TWC’s fleet is one of the largest private sector fleets in the country and, in recent years, has taken action to utilize more fuel efficient vehicles. TWC is replacing service vehicles with Ford Transit and Ford Transit Connect vehicles that are capable of achieving a 40% fuel performance improvement over replaced fleet. The Ford Fusion Hybrid has been made the standard TWC passenger car, which brings a 33% increase in fuel efficiency. The company has also doubled the number of Electric Power Take Off devices within its fleet of bucket trucks, which reduces idle time as it allows the vehicle to be shut down when the bucket is in use.
As part of its overall corporate social responsibility strategy, representing those areas that TWC can most effectively influence and positively impact for the future benefit of all of its communities, the company is committed to raising environmental awareness, using fewer natural resources and generating less waste through “Go Green” initiatives. An Executive Steering Committee, chaired by Marcus, and a Go Green Working Committee, made up of TWC leaders from across the company, guide this effort through the development of policies, programs and processes that focus on environmental sustainability and environmental issues.
