FedEx Express, Azure Dynamics Enter Agreement for E-450 Hybrid-Electric Delivery Vehicles
15 May 2007
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., has contracted with Azure Dynamics Corp. for the development of gasoline parallel hybrid-electric powertrains for its delivery fleet.
Under terms of the agreement, Azure will supply a parallel hybrid-electric test vehicle to FedEx Express for the Ford E-450 hybrid commercial delivery van development program. (Earlier post.) Once the development phase is completed, FedEx Express has committed to purchase a minimum of 20 pre-production parallel hybrid-electric Ford E-450 delivery vans to be delivered by May 2008.
In 2004, FedEx Express introduced the hybrid-electric FedEx OptiFleet E700 into its delivery fleet. (Earlier post.) With 93 hybrid-electric vehicles in service in North America that have traveled more than one million miles, FedEx Express has the largest fleet of hybrid-electric delivery vehicles of any transportation company within the United States.
FedEx Express introduced hybrid-electric vehicles to the commercial vehicle market six years ago, and we look forward to further advancing this important, environmentally-conscious initiative with Ford and Azure Dynamics.
—John Formisano, vice president, Global Vehicles, FedEx Express
Azure is working with Ford on the development of the E-450 parallel hybrid. The agreement with FedEx provides an opportunity for greater customer input into the development process, as well as a lead customer.
this is great news. i only wish that the number of hybrid delivery vehicles was in the hundreds rather than the tens.
Posted by: lensovet | 15 May 2007 at 03:20 PM
I think that if and when FedEx and/or UPS gets lots of hybrids in operation, people will take notice. It is like CNG powered city buses. People eventually notice that they are cleaner and think that at last, something good is being done to solve at least SOME of the problems. I think that this has a big effect on the way people looks at things. After years of no activity in this area finally something is being done.
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