North American Repower and Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. to Deliver First PHEV-RNG Armored Truck
 EDI and North American Repower have teamed up to manufacture the first near-zero emission armored security vehicle, which will be on the road in the Los Angeles area in 2016. |
Collaboration reduces emissions by 99.9 percent
OCEANSIDE, CA & MILPITAS, CA - June 25, 2015: Two global leaders in developing and manufacturing advanced transportation vehicles have teamed up to manufacture a first-of-its-kind fleet of Class-5 armored vehicles that combine the benefits of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and zero emission Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technology.
“We’re excited to be partnering with EDI on this breakthrough innovation”
North American Repower—California’s leading natural gas engine management and conversion technology company— and Efficient Drivetrains, Inc.—a global leader in developing high-efficiency Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle solution—will convert a fleet of six 26,000 pound, Class-5 medium-duty armored vehicles operated by Sectran Security into PHEV vehicles that run on electricity and renewable natural gas—known as “Zero Emission with Range Extension” vehicles. The collaboration supports the dramatic acceleration in California toward a zero emissions environment.
Today, the Sectran Security trucks make frequent stops as part of their highly congested urban routes. At each stop, the engines are kept idling for security purposes, but now risk violating California’s strict diesel idling regulations, which prohibit idling the engine for more than five minutes. With the modernized trucks, Sectran can completely eliminate engine idling by operating in all-electric mode during stop-and-go operations on urban routes and in hybrid-mode during highway operations. When complete, the vehicles possess impressive performance statistics—the demonstration trucks will enable Sectran to reduce annual diesel consumption by 31,000+ gallons, significantly reduce annual fuel costs, and reduce emissions by 99.9 percent.
“We’re excited to be partnering with EDI on this breakthrough innovation,” said John Reed, CEO of NAR. “We believe integrating our renewable natural gas system with EDI’s PHEV technology will enable fleet managers to quickly move from petroleum-based fuels to domestically available, cleaner-burning natural gas and electricity. We’re particularly excited to be demonstrating this technology in a vehicle that by its very nature requires exceptional reliability in a high security environment.”
“The integration of NAR’s natural gas conversion technology with EDI’s high-efficiency PHEV solutions is extremely valuable to the marketplace as it extends options available to commercial fleet operators as they look to green their fleets and comply with California’s emissions reduction requirements,” said Joerg Ferchau, CEO of EDI. “Our partnership enables organizations to focus on their immediate need to comply with regulations, while also benefitting from reduced fuel costs and full vehicle performance.”
The technology represents tremendous potential for commercial viability and can play an essential role in helping California meet its long-term carbon reduction and short-term zero-emissions goals.
The collaboration gained additional support from the California Energy Commission, which approved a $3 million grant award from its Energy Research and Development Division, leveraging an additional $3 million in private investment and creating 5 advanced vehicle jobs.
