XL, provider of connected vehicle electrification solutions for commercial, utility, and municipal fleets, announced it will be unveiling a plug-in hybrid electric version of the popular Ford F-250 pickup truck at The Work Truck Show 2019, held March 5-8 in Indianapolis. 

The product will support a continued expansion of the company’s plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) product family, which also includes the PHEV Ford F-150 that the company began shipping in 2018 to municipal and utility fleets including CPS Energy, Tacoma Public Utility, City of Palo Alto, and more.

As with the PHEV F-150, which has been proven to provide up to a 50% mpg improvement and 33% CO2 emissions reduction, the PHEV F-250 will include a driveshaft-mounted electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery pack that can be charged using standard Level 2 and 1 chargers. 

The truck will also feature regenerative braking, enabling it to store energy in the battery while slowing and then use that energy to help propel the vehicle during acceleration. Because the XL plug-in hybrid electric system works in parallel with the factory gasoline-powered engine, fleets will not need to be concerned over vehicle range, performance, or infrastructure requirements, according to the company. In addition, XL’s Ford eQVM certification ensures that all standard OEM warranties on the vehicle will remain intact.

Product specifications will be available during the NTEA show, and XL will display a PHEV F-250 in its booth (#3175).

In addition to the new product announcement, the company has added two new members to its executive team. Anna Durham is an accomplished senior executive and board member who has joined XL as its new Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Durham served in senior operations and finance leadership roles across multiple international divisions of GE Capital, including as COO of GE Capital France, President of GE Industrial France, and General Manager of GE Capital’s Fleet Maintenance and Safety business. Most recently, she served as COO of Xamax Industries, a specialty materials provider.  

XL also announced the addition of Brian Piern as its Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Piern has more than 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, product management and sales, with a track record of building winning teams. He has spent the past 12 years in the fleet industry, joining XLfrom Element Fleet Management, where he served as Senior Vice President of Sales. Previously, Piern served as a Senior VP of GE Capital as well as Director of New Business Development at Schneider National.  

The company also reported record sales for 2018, with more than 65% revenue growth over 2017 totals. Over the past year, the company expanded its leadership position in the fleet electrification market, with new products, a refined brand identity, several prominent industry awards and significant customer additions.