XL Fleet announced that it has stepped up to meet growing demand for electrified powertrains by adding a hybrid electric drive system for the Class 5 Ford F-550 Super Duty chassis.
The new system was developed and brought to market within six months, according to XL, to meet increased calls for the electrified F-550 chassis for various applications including utilities, construction equipment, customer service vehicles and municipal transportation.
The F-550 vehicles will be upfit with XL Fleet’s hybrid electric drive system and begin deliveries to customers by the end of 2020.
XL Fleet’s hybrid electric drive system reduces greenhouse gas emissions while delivering a 25 percent increase in MPG on hybrid electric models and a 50 percent MPG increase in plug-in hybrid electric models compared to conventional gasoline fleet vehicles.
“We are proud to further expand our portfolio of electrification solutions with the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers,” said Dimitri Kazarinoff, CEO of XL Fleet. “The launch of the electrified F-550 platform is a great example of XL Fleet’s responsive business model and best-in-class engineering capabilities. It also showcases the company’s ability to quickly bring new electrification products to market when customer demand warrants it.”
Tod Hynes, founder and chief strategy officer of XL Fleet, said the hybrid F-550 is an answer to market fragmentation.
“Our product development strategy remains focused on providing sustainable solutions for a wide range of popular fleet vehicles not being electrified by OEMs,” said Hynes. “The commercial market for electrified medium to heavy duty vehicles is large, but very fragmented. XL Fleet’s nimble product development approach enables the company to be very responsive to customer demand, particularly in the Class 5-6 and Class 7-8 ranges where EV options are extremely limited.”
XL Fleet, a Ford Electric Qualified Vehicle Modifier, remains on track to complete its previously announced merger agreement with Pivotal Investment Corporation II (NYSE: PIC), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, by the end of December 2020. Upon closing, the combined company will be named XL Fleet Corp. and its common stock and warrants will remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange under new ticker symbols, “XL” and “XL WS”, respectively.
