EV Founder and Trustee Joanna Underwood poses with Manhattan Beer Fleet Director Juan Corcino in front of a new truck equipped with a Cummins X15N natural gas engine now being fueled by RNG which is stored in the cylindrical tank.
The company bought the first commercial fleet of natural gas trucks (rather than diesel) back in 2001 to help reduce local air pollution. They built a refueling station on their property. This move was inspired by the fleet manager, Juan Corcino, whose children suffered from asthma.
Now, Manhattan Beer has taken another step forward. The company has purchased 17 large heavy duty trucks equipped with the new X15N engine, produced by Cummins. It is the first engine enabling the heaviest trucks to also leave the diesel era behind. And they will run on renewable natural gas (RNG) rather than fossil gas. The role of RNG is especially important in New York City. Produced from the methane that has been captured from landfills, wastewater, and organic waste, it slashes their greenhouse gases while also delivering meaningful improvements in local air quality—particularly in communities that have long borne the burden of diesel truck pollution.
Juan Corcino and Joanna Underwood showed the truck off at the clean vehicles event in New York’s Union Square, and the 17 trucks will go into operation in April.
Manhattan beer has also expanded its use of smaller electric-battery vehicles. Its strategy is simple: use what works and act now. In doing so, the company is proving that fleet decarbonization isn’t a future concept—it’s already happening in a big way even on the streets of New York. This company continues to lead one of the most practical and effective fleet decarbonization efforts in the country.
