Coke Tests Add-In Hybrid System For Better Gas Mileage On Service Vans - Green Car Reports
Operators of commercial vans have fewer options for fuel efficiency than individual buyers of passenger cars, but luckily, there's always the aftermarket. Coca-Cola has recently been operating a fleet of new Chevrolet Express 3500 vans upfitted with hybrid kits from XL Hybrids--and says it's found them satisfactory so far. After starting with 103 hybrid vans at the beginning of this year, Coke plans to add another 140 to its fleet by early 2015, according to AutomotiveFleet. RELATED: Via Motors Range-Extended Electric Cargo Van Completes Crash Testing. That motor supplements the gasoline engine, enough to provide 20 percent more range per tank of gas, according to XL Hybrids, and a corresponding 20-percent reduction of carbon emissions. It is suitable for new Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans and can be retrofitted to existing models of those vehicles from model years 2010 through 2013. It can also be installed in 2009 to 2013 Ford E-Series vans or cutaway chassis. XL Hybrids believes that emphasizing simplicity and convenience will win over fleet buyers who want to cut their fuel consumption but are leery of advanced technology. Source: www.greencarreports.com
