AT&T recently asked a unit of Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to convert 463 Ford vans to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). The converted fleet vehicles are to be delivered in the second quarter.

Through Clean Energy’s BAF Technologies Inc. subsidiary, AT&T plans to convert 1,850 Ford E-250 vans in 2010. Clean Energy said the telecommunications giant is exploring additional vehicle conversions for other types of vehicles, including Ford F-Series trucks.

In March AT&T said it planned to invest up to $565 million to deploy more than 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles during the next 10 years, noting that it expected to spend an estimated $350 million to purchase about 8,000 CNG vehicles and approximately $215 million to begin replacing its passenger cars with alternative fuel models (see Daily GPI, March 12). The prospective investment was described as the largest U.S. corporate commitment to CNG vehicles to date.

BAF said it anticipates completing the van conversions for AT&T by the end of this year as part of the multi-year effort AT&T announced early this year.

Clean Energy acquired Dallas-based BAF in September for $8.3 million, including $3.8 million of the firm’s outstanding debt (see Daily GPI, Sept. 28).

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