TORONTO, ONTARIO – Purolator has introduced the zero-emissions Quicksider prototype, a battery-operated electric delivery vehicle, according to Canadian Transportation & Logistics. The first of its kind in Canada within the courier industry, the Purolator Quicksider will be tested and evaluated for performance on the streets of Toronto. The emissions associated with charging its battery are expected to be less than 20 percent of those produced by a conventional diesel-powered, curbside delivery vehicle.

Manufactured by Toronto-based Unicell Limited in partnership with ArvinMeritor, the Purolator Quicksider combines several operation-enhancing features, including automatic doors, a tighter turning ratio, and pneumatic suspensions that enable the truck to kneel to curb level to unload packages. With its advanced electric drivetrain, the Quicksider is expected to require less maintenance than comparable diesel-powered vehicles.

Beyond the Quicksider prototype introduction, Purolator has added 30 new hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) to its curbside delivery fleet across Canada, with 28 in Vancouver, one in Ottawa, and one in Montreal. These vehicles join Purolator’s national green fleet — including 19 HEVs and one fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicle — in service in Toronto since 2005.

Having completed rigorous safety, handling, and compliance testing in the second half of 2006 and early 2007, the Purolator Quicksider will now be tested and evaluated for performance as part of Purolator’s existing green fleet. Following the successful completion of the Quicksider prototype test pilot, additional Quicksiders will be assembled for more extensive testing. Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a non-profit corporation created by the Canadian government, has allocated $2.1 million to the next phase of the Quicksider demonstration project.

Purolator’s green fleet expansion is part of the company’s commitment to good corporate citizenship. After analyzing the environmental impacts of its operations and services, Purolator identified fleet fuel usage and vehicle air emissions as the best way to reduce its environmental footprint. Purolator piloted its first HEV fleet in the Toronto market in 2005 with the goal of eliminating up to 50 percent of greenhouse gasses currently emitted with conventional gasoline/diesel delivery vehicles and reducing fuel consumption by an average of 50 percent. After more than 414,000 kilometers on the road, the vehicles have saved more than 72,000 liters of fuel and prevented the emission of over 150 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, in carbon dioxide equivalents, as well as associated smog-causing emissions, according to Canadian Transportation & Logistics.