XL, a connected vehicle electrification solutions company for commercial and municipal fleets, has received approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to sell hybrid electric Ford F-250 pickup trucks in California, marking the 14th CARB executive order achieved by the company.
XL has earned the highest number of CARB executive orders for commercial vehicle electrification in the entire automotive industry, according to the company. In addition, the company noted that its hybrid-equipped Ford F-250 improves fuel economy by an average of 25, while reducing CO2 emissions by 20 percent, providing both an economic and environmental advantage for fleets across North America.
The California Air Resources Board and other organizations continue to pursue the statewide goals for reducing greenhouse gases to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and part of the burden will rest on the transportation sector to reduce emissions. Many commercial and public fleets are deploying electrified fleet vehicles to meet these goals. In addition to hybrid electric F-250s, XL also offers hybrid electric (HEV) systems for Ford Transit vans, General Motors vans and cutaways, and Ford E-Series cutaways. XL introduced its plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) system for Ford F-150s last year, highlighting an MPG gain of 50 percent and CO2 reduction of 33 percent. As a result, commercial, municipal and utility fleets have cost-effective and scalable ways to achieve sustainability goals, without impacting vehicle performance or operations.
“The XLH system is helping us to be in line with the California greenhouse gas reduction standards for the vehicles we use in the County,” said Mike Quan, C.P.M. for the County of Los Angeles Internal Services Department – Fleet Services. “And the XL Link telematics program will allow us to measure and analyze speed, idling, vehicle drive cycle, CO2 emissions reductions and MPG.”
Clay Siegert, chief operating officer of XL, said, “California continues to set a high bar for electrified vehicle technology, and we’ve seen many U.S. states following California’s lead. As a result of this CARB executive order, XL provides fleets with even more choices for electrified trucks and vans, while ensuring that XL is well-positioned should California and other U.S. states tighten restrictions on conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines.”
