Use of Plug-In Hybrid Upfit On Ford F-150 Pickup Trucks Grows

The use of plug-in hybrid uplifts for Ford-F-150 pickup trucks is growing among fleet customers.

Three of the latest companies that intend to add the technology from XL Hybrids include the City of Long Beach, Calif., Southern California Edison (SCE), and Tampa Electric (TECO). They join the previously announced customers, NV Energy®, DTE Energy®, San Diego Gas & Electric Company® — which recently signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase 110 units — Liberty Utilities®, and Hawaiian Electric Company® looking forward to accepting XLP ship-thru deliveries beginning fourth quarter 2017.

The technology is engineered to 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.

“Our plug-in hybrid technology is an upfit on the reliable, road-tested and popular Ford F-150,” said Clay Siegert, XL Hybrids’ co-founder and chief operating officer. “With the OEM powertrain intact, fleet customers will maintain OEM warranty and service. Those are two of the benefits of XLP and the reason major fleets are placing order commitments to be among the first to get this PHEV pickup truck.”

Installation of the XLP PHEV system can be completed in just hours on half-ton pickup trucks as a Ford 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 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.

Category: General Update