Ohio HVAC Fleet Adds Converted Hybrid Vans
An Ohio-based HVAC service company will add XL Hybrids' XL3 gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain to four of its General Motors vans.
Photo: XL Hybrids
Photo: XL Hybrids
An Ohio-based HVAC service company will add XL Hybrids' XL3 gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain to four of its General Motors vans.
Watkins Heating & Cooling, a family-owned and operated company headquartered in Springboro, plans to eventually replace all of its 15 vehicles with hybrids. The company tested XL Hybrids' system, resulting in 30- to 35-percent improvement in fuel efficiency, according to David Watkins, vice president of Watkins Heating & Cooling.
"We anticipate getting a positive return on our investment in the XL3 hybrid system in just over two years," Watkins said. "Plus, with XL Hybrids' powertrain, we anticipate saving our service technicians about 20 gas fill-ups a year."
The XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System saves fuel through regenerative braking, a process by which the electric motor helps slow the vehicle when the driver brakes, charging the battery. When the driver accelerates, the battery releases the energy to the electric motor, helping propel the vehicle.
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