XL, provider of connected vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, announced that Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Washington state’s largest energy provider serving nearly 2 million customers, has expanded its electrified fleet with 40 XL-equipped hybrid Ford vehicles, including Transit vans and F-250 trucks.

With its latest order, PSE now has 110 work trucks equipped with XL’s hybrid technology, with more anticipated being added later this year. XL’s hybrid system has been proven to improve fuel economy by an average of 25% while reducing carbon emissions by 20%, according to the company, and the utility continues to take a leadership role in helping the state of Washington meet its strong sustainability goals.

PSE is supporting these efforts through the electrification of its fleet vehicles. The hybrid vans will support natural gas first responders, and its hybrid pickup trucks will serve natural gas inspectors and related routes, covering about 6,000 square miles over 10 counties and major metropolitan areas.

These vehicles do not have a return-to-base policy, and are typically parked at drivers’ homes since they are needed for emergency response, so it’s helpful that they don’t need a charging station or other hub to deploy them, PSE reports. 

“With roughly 43% of carbon emissions in Washington state coming from transportation, we are committed to accelerating the adoption of electrified vehicles,” said Colin Davidson, fleet logistics manager at PSE. “By continuing to upfit our Ford Transit vans and F-250s with XL’s hybrid technology, we will make significant progress towards achieving our goal to reduce our carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2040, without worrying about infrastructure requirements or high maintenance costs.”