Enova Systems Inc. a developer of propriety electric, hybrid and fuel cell digital power-management systems for the alternative energy industry, is collaborating with Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) to deliver all-electric commercial vehicles to the North American fleet market.

The companies describe the four-phase initiative to deliver the vehicles by 2010 as a major step toward greening North America's national commercial fleets. The companies have completed the program's first phase, which was to demonstrate the Enova Ze MT-45 walk-in van powered by Enova's integrated all-electric drive technology. The MT-45's gross vehicle weight goes up to 19,000 lbs. with maximum payloads of 10,000 lbs.

The U.S. Department of Energy, United States Postal Service, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority participated in the demonstration.

In 2009, Enova and FCCC identified and qualified national fleet operators who will receive the first deployment of pilot vehicles. The next phase is to demonstrate the performance of the electric vehicles on real-world delivery routes, and deploy EVs across the commercial fleet segment.