The Cities of Toronto and Hamilton, the Province of Ontario and Fleet Challenge Ontario today kicked off the Green Fleet Expo VI at the Courtyard by Marriottin Hamilton, Ontario.
Hundreds of leaders in green fleet technology have gathered for the two-day event, which includes exhibits from transportation industry vendors, presentations on alternative fuels and electric vehicles, panel discussions on light- and heavy-duty vehicles, presentations about green government practices, special green fleet initiatives and the green fleet leadership awards. The popular ride-and-drive opportunity continued to be a success, giving participants the opportunity to test drive the latest electric vehicle technology from Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz, to name a few.
The guest speaker, Deputy Minister of Transportation Carol Layton, led a panel discussion of four senior officials responsible for green fleet vehicles and technologies for the Province of Ontario.
"Co-hosting the GFX for the sixth year with the City of Hamilton, the Province of Ontario and Fleet Challenge Ontario shows our commitment to the ongoing efforts of reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Gerry Pietschmann, the City of Toronto’s Fleet Services Director. "We look forward to keeping the momentum in order to thrive as a leader and partner in green fleet technology now and in the future."
"Hamilton, Toronto, the Province of Ontario and Fleet Challenge Ontario offer a cohesive leadership initiative to implement green automotive products," said Chris Hill, Manager of Central Fleet for the City of Hamilton.
Sponsors for this year's event include Automotive Resources International and Westport HD. The GFX will return to Toronto in 2012 and will continue to grow as Canada's premiere event for new and emerging green technology.
The City of Toronto is actively implementing the Green Fleet Plan. Toronto has added 117 new green vehicles to its fleet, implemented programs to shut down idling light and heavy-duty trucks and developed the Green Vehicle Evaluation and Selection Tool (GVEST), which assesses environmentally preferred heavy-duty vehicles and is available for all municipalities to use.
More information about GFX is available at http://www.toronto.ca/fleet.
Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
