Meijer Takes Delivery of Nation's First Fleet of Trucks Equipped With Near-Zero Emissions Technology

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer, an EPA SmartWay(SM) award-winning Michigan-based retailer, began taking delivery today of the nation's first fleet of U.S. EPA 2010 trucks from Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) that feature near-zero emissions technology.

In total, Meijer has purchased 75 Freightliner® Cascadia™ trucks equipped with DD13 engines that represent a family of new fuel efficient, reduced-emission engines developed by Detroit Diesel in collaboration with the Department of Energy 21st Century Truck Partnership Program.

Meijer's new fleet of Freightliner trucks will dramatically improve fuel efficiency while reducing emissions to near-zero levels of NOx (nitrogen oxides). With the delivery of the near-zero emissions trucks, Meijer will operate the largest 2010 EPA Emission Compliant Fleet in North America.

"We're extremely proud to be the first company in the nation to place an order and take delivery for these 21st century trucks equipped with the BlueTec emissions technology," said Dave Hoover, director of logistics at Meijer. "These trucks speak to our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint in so many different areas of our business. It's also exciting to be partnering with a neighboring Michigan-based company to help stimulate the economy and provide jobs right in our own backyard."

With the introduction of these trucks, Meijer expects to see a 47% reduction in particulate matter, a 55% reduction in nitrous oxide and a 3% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The Cascadia fleet will reduce CO2 emissions by 9,300 U.S. tons, while virtually eliminating 525 U.S. tons of smog-creating NOx from the air.

The fleet order is one of several moves Meijer has made of late to reduce its impact on the environment. The company recently opened the nation's first LEED-certified remodel of an existing supercenter, and moved forward with wind turbines on several of its buildings, and continues to look for ways to make its stores more green.

"We consider our green initiatives an integral part of our business plan," said Hank Meijer, co-chairman and C.E.O. of the Grand Rapids-based retailer. "We've always had a philosophy that to be a good company we must be a good neighbor. I can think of few better ways to be a good neighbor than focusing on efforts to be as green as possible."

Meijer's new Freightliner engines are designed with BlueTec emissions technology with the EPA 2010 standards in mind. In turn, the trucks deliver increased fuel economy of up to 5%. The trucks also mark an evolution of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology developed by Daimler, which is used today by more than 200,000 trucks in Europe and Japan.

SCR is an emissions technology that treats NOx emissions downstream in the exhaust so that the engine can be tuned to run more efficiently and economically.  SCR technology consists of an after-treatment catalyst system that allows engine exhaust to be treated with a non-hazardous fluid known as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) that reduces harmful NOx into simple nitrogen and water.

"SCR is the only emissions technology in decades proven to be as good for business as it is for the environment," said Mark Lampert, senior vice president of sales for Daimler Trucks North America. "Daimler Trucks and Detroit Diesel lead the industry in research and development of both SCR technology and the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) infrastructure to support it.

"We invested over a decade in the design of emissions technologies to optimize the entire powertrain system for our North American trucking customers, and we're especially pleased to be selected by Meijer as their supplier of choice for the first fleet order of U.S. EPA 2010 trucks," he added. "Meijer is at the forefront of business and environmental strategies, and we are proud to deliver Detroit Diesel's BlueTec to them as a proven technology that will deliver a significant return on their emissions technology investment and an operational advantage of up to 5% over current 2007 trucks in their fleet."

The fleet order is particularly significant for the state of Michigan, as it represents a mutually beneficial supply agreement between two Michigan-based companies – the Grand Rapids-based Meijer and Detroit Diesel Corporation, based in Redford, Michigan.

Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is the leading medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets Class 4-8 vehicles and is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Detroit Diesel Corporation is a leading manufacturer of on-highway diesel engines for the commercial truck market. Headquartered in Redford, Mich., Detroit Diesel is engaged in the design, manufacture, sale and service of these products, in addition to supporting alternative and hybrid engine strategies for the commercial truck marketplace. Detroit Diesel is a Daimler AG company.

About Meijer

Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 191 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As the inventor of the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings. Additional information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more can be found at www.meijer.com.

SOURCE Meijer