XL Hybrids, Inc., a leader in connected fleet electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, announced that its XLP™ plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) upfit solution will roll out on Ford F-150 pickup trucks beginning fourth quarter 2017. Ford, with its top-selling half-ton truck for any make and model, was chosen as the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) based on XL Hybrids’ order commitments from major fleet customers. The XLP Fleet-Ready™ technology is the industry’s first ship-thru upfit on pickup trucks from a leading OEM.
“After securing order commitments from our leading fleet customers, we made the decision to begin production on the popular and versatile Ford F-150,” said Clay Siegert, XL Hybrids’ Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer. “Already, major fleets are placing orders to be among the first to get the PHEV on the road to positively impact their sustainability initiatives while saving on fuel costs.”
NV Energy® and DTE Energy® are among the newest utility and municipal fleets who say they intend to purchase XL Hybrids’ XLP PHEV system, which delivers a 50% improvement in miles driven per gallon, as well as significant reduction in carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. They join previously-announced fleets San Diego Gas & Electric Company®—which recently signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase 110 units—Liberty Utilities®, Hawaiian Electric Company®, Montgomery County Maryland and the City of Newton, Massachusetts, and are looking forward to accepting XLP ship-thru deliveries beginning fourth quarter 2017.
The XLP technology will be installed in model year 2017 (MY17) Ford F-150 pickups with the 2.7L EcoBoost engine and Ford’s Auto Stop-Start technology. The XLP will also be available for the upcoming MY18 Ford F-150 pickup with the 2.7L EcoBoost engine and the new 3.3L base engine, both featuring Ford’s Auto Stop-Start technology. XLP will be compatible with a range of wheelbases, cab and bed configurations.
Installation of the XLP PHEV system can be completed in just hours on half-ton pickup trucks as a ship-thru upfit. Featuring a volume-production ready high voltage lithium battery pack, XLP will accommodate full charging overnight with Level 1, and less than three hours for Level 2 charging using an industry-standard J1772 plug interface. The XLP technology leaves the OEM’s 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 miles per gallon (MPG) performance and reports CO2 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.
