Company showcases industry-leading selection of natural gas and hybrid-electric products at conference

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Martin Daum, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), provided the keynote address at the Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo 2011. ACT Expo is the largest clean transportation event in North America.

In his address, Daum discussed DTNA’s long-term leadership in diesel efficiency programs and alternative fuel options, making specific note of the company’s many achievements in these sectors, including BlueTec® Emissions Technology; its five-year commitment to U.S Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program for energy efficiency through advanced technologies; and its many firsts, including being the first original equipment manufacturer to bring a factory-produced conventional natural gas truck to market.

Daum also noted some of DTNA’s partnerships, including the Department of Energy and its Clean Cities program; the EPA; the California Energy Commission; the California Air Resources Board (CARB); and many others. Through these partnerships, DTNA has achieved significant successes, such as the deployment of 400 Sterling and Freightliner natural gas tractors to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; and, together with the Maryland Energy Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy, the nation’s largest collaborative hybrid deployment project in the nation, where DTNA spearheaded the deployment of 143 hybrid trucks to Aramark Uniform Services, Nestle Waters, Sysco Foods and UPS.

In January 2011, DTNA marked the success of its hybrid-electric product by celebrating the production of its 1,000th hybrid-electric commercial vehicle. The company, which has already delivered nearly 1,600 natural gas-powered Thomas Built Buses and FCCC buses and walk-in-vans, will also deliver its 1,000th natural gas vehicle since 2008 under the Sterling and Freightliner brands later this year.

Daum noted: “DTNA is very proud of our important accomplishments in the efficiency improvement, natural gas and hybrid fields, but we have to continue to drive technology further. We see tremendous growth opportunities for our line-up of ultra efficient products, and are extremely excited about the market potential here.”

In addition, Freightliner Custom Chassis is going to deploy the first 40 hydraulic hybrid walk-in-vans to UPS later this year and will begin delivering its first all-electric walk in vans to customers by year end. Thomas Built Buses is working to introduce Saf-T-Liner® C2 and Minotour® propane-fueled school buses in 2012.

In addition to Daum’s remarks, Dr. Wilfried Achenbach, senior vice president of engineering for DTNA, also provided insights on driving a concept to a reliable, production-ready vehicle during a discussion on “Moving Towards Zero Emission Trucks for Regional Freight Movement.”

DTNA, a platinum sponsor of the conference, highlighted its industry-leading array of alternative fuel products in its booth, including its Business Class M2 112 CNG and LNG trucks; a Freightliner Cascadia® CNG tractor; a Business Class M2 106 Hybrid truck; Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX CNG; and a Freightliner Custom Chassis All-Electric walk-in-van. The DTNA booth also featured other green efforts including paper-free literature, recycled carpeting and environmentally-friendly giveaways.

“DTNA has developed some of the most advanced clean-burning alternative fuel products available today, clearly demonstrated by our wide selection of natural gas and hybrid-electric products,” said Richard Shearing, director, product planning for Daimler Trucks North America. “By building upon our proven engineering, we can offer our customers the latest in alternative fuel products without compromising power, performance and efficiency.”

Beyond its products, DTNA has demonstrated its environmental commitment through other efforts, including achieving zero-waste-to-land fill status at its FCCC and Thomas Built Bus facilities. The Freightliner Trucks Cleveland, N.C., plant and Thomas Built Bus’ High Point, N.C., facility are home to 1,560 and 1,690 solar panels owned by Duke Energy, providing electricity to 79 average-sized homes. And new initiatives at Detroit Diesel’s Detroit-based manufacturing facility have helped company reduce landfill waste by more than 54 percent and overall trash by 30 percent in one year.

DTNA’s commitment to green technologies is part of Daimler AG’s global “Shaping Future Transportation” initiative. Launched in 2007, the initiative focuses on reducing criteria pollutants, carbon dioxide and fuel consumption.

For more information, go to www.Daimler-TrucksNorthAmerica.com.

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.