CALSTART Presents Blue Sky Awards to Coca-Cola and U.S. Army's Paul Skalny

BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2011) - CALSTART, the nation's leading clean transportation consortium, announced that Coca-Cola Refreshments and Paul F. Skalny have won the prestigious CALSTART Blue Sky Awards for 2011. The awards recognize outstanding marketplace contributions made by companies, organizations and individuals to clean air, energy efficiency and the clean transportation industry.

Coca-Cola and Skalny were presented with the Blue Sky Award and the Blue Sky Leadership Award, respectively, in Baltimore at the Hybrid, Electric, and High Efficiency Truck Users Forum & Expo (htuf2011.org).

Coca-Cola is an industry leader in alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). Currently, the Company has the largest heavy-duty hybrid electric fleet in North America with more than 650 hybrid delivery trucks in major U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Miami. By the end of 2011, Coca-Cola will have more than 750 AFVs deployed throughout its fleet. The Company continues to pilot additional fleet technologies including natural gas, propane-powered and all-electric vehicles. Last month Coca-Cola launched new all-electric trucks in five key markets across the country.

Skalny, who is the Acting Executive Director of Product Development and Director of Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC) National Automotive Center, has quietly worked behind the scenes to lead the charge to energy efficient fleets for military applications, while also pushing to develop a new and robust commercial market for clean vehicles.

More about Coca-Cola
"In order for the nation to move to a cleaner and more secure transportation energy future, we will need fleets and consumers to do the right thing and buy vehicles that are better for the environment," said John Boesel, President and CEO of CALSTART. "Coca-Cola Refreshments is the winner of this year's Blue Sky Award because of their commitment to investing in hybrid and clean fuel trucks."

"Coca-Cola is honored to be the 2011 recipient of the CALSTART Blue Sky Award," said Steve Saltzgiver, Director of Fleet Operations, as he accepted the honor on behalf of the company. "Investing in alternative fuel vehicles and innovative fleet technologies are important components to achieving better energy efficiencies and reducing our impact on the planet. This recognition is validation of our efforts to date and motivation to continue."

The Company's alternative fleet has grown most substantially in geographies where financial support for AFVs is greatest. Coca-Cola strives to make the most strategic investments by seeking tax incentives and grants where possible. In California, for example, the Company has benefitted from clean truck incentives provided by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), the Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) and the California Energy Commission (CEC).

More about Paul Skalny
"Paul has been one of the nation's most innovative and influential leaders in the development of advanced technologies for trucks, in particular hybrid systems," said John Boesel, President and CEO of CALSTART. He continued, "Without Paul, it is unlikely hybrid trucks would have reached the market in the timeframe they did, with fleets like Coca-Cola able to deploy them. Paul has an ability to see over the horizon to what is needed, for both the military and commercial arenas, and his vision and direct support of efforts like HTUF have helped make his vision a reality today."

About CALSTART
CALSTART, North America's leading clean transportation technologies and solutions consortium, consults internationally to over 130 member companies and clients. CALSTART serves as a catalyst for creating jobs, cleaning the air, reducing fuel consumption and mitigating the threat of climate change. For more information on HTUF and other CALSTART programs, visit: www.calstart.org

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

ABOUT TARDEC
Headquartered at the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, TARDEC is the Nation's laboratory for advanced military automotive technology and serves as the Ground Systems Integrator for all Department of Defense (DOD) manned and unmanned ground vehicle systems. With roots dating back to the World War II era, TARDEC is a full life-cycle, systems engineering support provider-of-first-choice for all DOD ground combat and combat support weapons, equipment and vehicle systems. TARDEC develops and integrates the right technology solutions to improve Current Force effectiveness and provides superior capabilities for Future Force integration. TARDEC's technical, scientific and engineering staff lead cutting-edge research and development in Ground Systems Survivability; Power and Mobility; Ground Vehicle Robotics; Force Projection; and Vehicle Electronics and Architecture. TARDEC is a major research, development and engineering center for Research, Development and Engineering Command and an enterprise partner in the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command. www.tardec.army.mil

Facebook: US Army TARDEC
Twitter: TARDEC_PAO