XL Hybrids, Inc.,a leader in connected fleet electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, has announced the launch of the company’s new product line, the XLP™ plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) upfit solution. The XLP™ will be an industry-first Fleet-Ready™ solution offered as a ship-thru upfit on half-ton pickup trucks from leading OEMs, and will provide a 50 percent improvement in miles driven per gallon for major fleets across the United States, as well as significant reductions in CO2 emissions.
“Expanding our offering to include plug-in solutions is the next step in our plan to electrify fleet vehicles with technology that saves money while reducing oil consumption and emissions,” said Tod Hynes, founder and chief executive officer of XL Hybrids. “The XLP system allows fleets to purchase the same, roadworthy OEM pickup trucks they always have – OEM powertrain and warranty fully intact – now with a proven electrified powertrain from XL Hybrids to significantly increase MPG. Fleets will have peace of mind knowing that their work truck will get the job done, with the same access to existing service infrastructure that fleets have always enjoyed.”
Utility and municipal fleets including San Diego Gas & Electric Company®, Liberty Utilities®, Hawaiian Electric Company® and Montgomery County Maryland, which is headed by a recent public sector fleet manager of the year William Griffiths, are among the North American customers that intend to purchase XL Hybrids’ XLP PHEV system for use in their pickup fleets. XLP ship-thru deliveries to fleet customers will begin in the fourth quarter of 2017.
“Major fleets that have already adopted the XL3 hybrid-electric upfit system know and trust that XL Hybrids is ‘fleet ready’ because we deliver on our promise of products that do not compromise fleet operations – and we will do the same with our new XLP system,” said Clay Siegert, XL Hybrids’ co-founder and chief operating officer. “Our technology will be the first plug-in solution that is available for tried and true commercial pickup trucks for fleets today. XL Hybrids is committed to providing products that do not impact service, delivery, or field operations.”
XL Hybrids surveyed fleet managers to understand their most critical requirements and developed the new technology based on customer demand for hybrid electric plug-in technology on commercial work trucks from the leading OEMs. The new XLP solution will build on the platform product technology used on the company’s award-winning XL3® hybrid-electric powertrain, which has achieved more than 35 million road miles with over 99.9 percent vehicle uptime on Class 2-6 vehicles for major fleets since 2013. The XLP lithium battery pack will be over 10 kWh, and will accommodate Levels 1 and 2 charging using an industry-standard plug.
“Because our XLP plug-in hybrid electric solution leverages our hybrid-electric driveline technology already proven over millions of fleet road miles, XLP will provide fleet customers with unprecedented reliability, vehicle uptime and drivability for a plug-in hybrid pickup truck solution,” said Dr. Edward Lovelace, XL Hybrids’ chief technology officer. “The launch of our XLP plug-in hybrid solution reaffirms XL Hybrids is the industry leader in fleet electrification solutions, and we are proud to have major customers already committed to support our product launch next year.”
The XLP PHEV system will be installed in just hours on half-ton pickup trucks as a ship-thru upfit. Installation of the XLP system will leave the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) engine, transmission, fuel system and exhaust system completely intact. Fleets will maintain the complete OEM warranty, and get a three-year, 75,000 mile warranty from XL Hybrids on the XLP powertrain. The XLP system will have no special maintenance requirements.
XLP will also include the XL Link™ cloud-based big data analytics system, which measures MPG performance and reports carbon dioxide emissions reductions. The proprietary XL Link vehicle connectivity is a continuous data link from every vehicle, collecting millions of operational data points, allowing analysis and reports on key performance indicators.
