XL Hybrids, a Boston-based developer of hybrid powertrain technology for commercial and municipal fleets, has announced that its customers have logged a cumulative total of four million on-road miles.

The company’s XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive for passenger and cargo vans requires less than a $10,000 investment, and is designed to be installed in about five hours. The system uses a lithium-ion battery pack sourced from Johnson Controls.

“Our customers enjoy a quick adoption rate because the XL3 system doesn’t need any special plugs, charging or fueling infrastructure,” said co-founder and VP Clay Siegert. “Fleet managers can retrofit existing fleet vehicles or order new vans with our charge-sustaining hybrid electric powertrains. Fleets immediately benefit from cost savings of 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption.”

One important customer is Coca-Cola, which has already bought 170 converted Chevrolet Express 3500 vans from XL Hybrids, and plans to add another 70 to its fleet by early 2015. The vans are used by service techs who repair vending and fountain machines.

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“The reason we went with this technology is because it’s very simple,” said Coca-Cola Fleet Manager Tony Eiermann. “The biggest thing for Coca-Cola is if for any reason this system fails, we can still operate the van. It goes into a bypass mode.”

“From a fleet manager’s perspective, having a low-risk technical solution is a good selling point,” said Clay Siegert. “We source our hybrid components from large component suppliers, and have achieved a 99.9-percent vehicle uptime over 4 million miles with our customers.”

Source: XL Hybrids, Automotive Fleet