Fleetowner 6532 Bmchybridelectrictrucke2
Fleetowner 6532 Bmchybridelectrictrucke2
Fleetowner 6532 Bmchybridelectrictrucke2
Fleetowner 6532 Bmchybridelectrictrucke2
Fleetowner 6532 Bmchybridelectrictrucke2

Green Fleet of the Month: Experienced hand

July 5, 2016
XL Hybrids’ system proving its worth

The choice any fleet makes to go green involves many variables. There are fuel and environmental benefits, plus the positive public profile it projects. Regardless of the reason, though, going green requires the support of management, and having an in-house expert can be a benefit, too.

That is the case for BMC, a national provider of building materials and construction services. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the firm recently made the decision to begin investing in greener vehicles. With a national fleet of over 2,400 units spanning all classes from 1-8,  the question of where to start was brought to Daniel Daly, director of logistics and fleet operations, who joined BMC about 18 months ago.

“My previous company did a lot of work with XL Hybrids, We had about 200 of [their systems],” he says.

With first-hand experience with the XL3 hybrid electric drive system, Daly proposed outfitting a pair of BMC’s 2015 Ford E-350 step vans. Both vans went into service in Colorado in August 2015 and have accumulated about 37,000 mi. combined to date.

“The results [would be] there,” Daly says. “With the focus on the environment and with the [ROI] paying for the system, it was a no-brainer to use the system.”

The XL3 system saves fuel through regenerative braking, a process by which the electric motor helps slow the vehicle when the driver brakes, thereby charging the battery, XL Hybrids explains.  When the driver accelerates, the battery releases energy to the electric motor, helping propel the vehicle.

Daly says BMC is seeing a 24% increase in fuel economy for the vans when operating in urban driving conditions. He also hopes to see maintenance savings once a full analysis is conducted after the vehicles have been in service for one year.

As part of the hybrid electric conversions, XL Hybrids installed its wireless data connectivity system into four BMC step vans—two hybrid electric models and two non-hybrid vehicles. Powertrain data is transmitted to a cloud-based analytics system to measure mpg performance as well as track key performance indicators like idling, vehicle duty cycle, and carbon dioxide emissions reduction.

“The vehicle data collection technology deployed on the vans allows XL Hybrids to offer BMC on-road mpg reporting and hybrid system service alerts,” explains Clay Siegert, vice president and co-founder of XL Hybrids.

Daly says he expects to save 30 gals. of fuel and 3 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The next step is getting the XL3 into the ideal applications. While drivers delivering wire racking make between 4 and 10 stops a day, they still spend part of their day traveling on highways, which is not the ideal operation for the XL3 system.

“Right now, we’re looking to [identify] the right markets,” Daly says, adding that he is looking at operations in the Atlanta and Los Angeles areas as potential fits. “[We want to use them in markets] where there is a ton of traffic [because] the results speak for themselves.”

About the Author

Brian Straight | Managing Editor

Brian joined Fleet Owner in May 2008 after spending nearly 14 years as sports editor and then managing editor of several daily newspapers.  He and his staff  won more than two dozen major writing and editing awards. Responsible for editing, editorial production functions and deadlines.

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