Fleet customers will soon be able to choose the popular Ford F 150 pickup truck with an XL Hybrids powertrain. The XLP™ system from XL Hybrids turns the standard vehicle into a plug-in hybrid electric pickup truck and will be available to fleet customers as a “ship through” up-fit option beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.
XL Hybrids is the leading supplier of connected fleet electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets. Utility companies NV Energy and DTE Energy will be among the first fleet operators to put pickup trucks with XLP plug-in hybrid system into service. The system delivers a 50% increase in fuel economy while reducing carbon dioxide emissions significantly.
Other orders for the plug-in hybrid equipped pickup trucks have been received from San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Liberty Utilities, Hawaiian Electric Company, the government of Montgomery County, Maryland, and the city of Newton, Massachusetts. SDG&E is expected to acquire a total of 110 vehicles based on a recent memorandum of understanding
The XLP plug-in hybrid technology is compatible with Ford’s 2.7 liter EcoBoost engine and with the 3.3 liter base engine that will be offered starting with its 2018 model year. Both engines will be equipped with start/stop technology. The system can be installed with all the wheelbase, cab size, and load bed options offered by Ford.
The XLP technology leaves the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) engine, transmission, fuel system, and exhaust system completely intact. It also is fully compatible with the manufacturer’s original factory warranty. Installation takes just a few hours at an up-fit facility located between the factory and the final customer.
Its lithium ion high voltage battery pack can be fully charged overnight using a standard wall outlet or in three hours using a Level 2 charger and a standard J1772 plug. The XLP system will have no special maintenance requirements.
The major auto companies have been slow to offer plug in hybrid or electric pickup trucks to fleet, commercial, or individual customers, which has left room for independents like XL Hybrids and Workhorse to develop their own proprietary systems. Workhorse says it intends to begin production of its own plug-in hybrid electric pickup truck later this year. That will make it the first all new truck manufacturer to enter the US market this century.
Source: Electric Cars Report
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