Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and XL, a leader in fleet electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets that has worked with many Fortune 500 companies to make the change to electrification, recently announced that PSE has finished outfitting forty new vehicles with hybrid conversion technology. This change will serve to reduce each van’s carbon footprint, support the change from petroleum to XL hybrid gas/electric systems, and reduce CO2 emissions by 1.3 million pounds annually. PSE also showcased one of these new hybrid vans at the Green Transportation Summit and Expo on April 17-19th in order to showcase how easy it is for companies to convert fleet vehicles to cleaner systems, in turn, saving costs.
PSE selected XL’s fleet electrification technology for its 40 new cleaner and more fuel efficient Ford Transit utility vans, which hit the streets earlier this year. The upgrade is expected to reduce each van’s carbon footprint by up to 20 percent and increase fuel economy by as much as 25 percent, reflecting the utility’s commitment to protecting the environment, as well as its bottom line.
PSE worked with XL to upfit each Ford van with an electric motor and advanced lithium-ion battery pack, as well as the XL Link connected vehicle system. The XL Link software provides actionable intelligence from PSE’s vehicle data, allowing company officials to monitor important metrics such as fuel economy, speed, idling time, vehicle drive cycles and CO2 emission reductions. The fleet electrification technology will be on display for fleet managers, clean fleet stakeholders and other expo attendees at the XL booth #201.
“We know our customers value the environment, so we were excited for the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint through our fleet vehicles. This is another step for PSE to invest in the development of cleaner alternatives and technologies.”
- Wayne Gould, director of corporate shared services at Puget Sound Energy
The XL system allows PSE vans to save fuel through regenerative braking, a process by which the XL electric motor helps slow the van when the driver brakes, while simultaneously charging the battery. The energy stored in the battery is then used to help power the vehicle when the driver accelerates.
“Utilities and energy organizations across the country are increasingly adopting the latest green fleet technologies to further their missions for energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction. Puget Sound Energy’s fleet initiative was a natural fit for XL’s unique electrification solution, which is ideal for improving fuel economy in stop-and-go driving conditions, increasing driver efficiency, reducing brake and engine wear, and meeting long-term sustainability goals.”
- Clay Siegert, chief operating officer of XL
The upgrade is part of PSE’s broader vehicle electrification plan to upfit an additional 20 fleet vehicles from petroleum to XL hybrid gas/electric systems this year. All 60 of the converted vehicles will have the potential of reducing PSE’s CO2 emissions by about 1.3 million pounds annually, supporting the company’s ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2040.