Azure Dynamics Sells Another 10 Balance Hybrid Trucks
The Oak Park hybrid and electric truck powertrain developer Azure Dynamics Corp. (OTC: AZDDF) announced the sale of 10 Balance Hybrid Electric trucks to TruGreen, the nation's largest lawn care provider and operator of one of the country's largest private vehicle fleets.
The company plans to deploy the vehicles in California in normal lawn care and landscape service as part of the company's commitment to create a greener fleet.
The Balance Hybrid Electric offers a compelling value proposition to the lawn care industry. The vehicle features engine-off-at-idle functionality, which can significantly reduce the noise and environmental footprint of the truck. This is particularly appealing to companies like TruGreen that are often at work in residential neighborhoods.
"TruGreen is always working to create and maintain beautiful outdoor spaces," said Jim Steffen, director of fleet engineering at ServiceMaster, TruGreen's parent company. "These Azure equipped trucks can meet our fleet requirements, reducing fuel usage and emissions. Meanwhile, the quiet operation helps us preserve the tranquility of outdoor environments. Adding these vehicles to our fleet is the result of our focused effort to upgrade our fleet with new technologies and to deliver on TruGreen's overall commitment to improving our environmental responsibility."
The Azure Balance Hybrid Electric Drivetrain is incorporated on a Ford E450 chassis and manages the conventional 5.4-liter Triton gasoline engine and the five-speed automatic transmission to produce a cleaner, more fuel efficient vehicle.
Said Jay Sandler, vice president of sales at Azure: "TruGreen and ServiceMaster are well-known and respected companies, and we're hopeful that this collaborative initiative will lead to other opportunities and market growth."
Since most commercial vehicle fleets spend approximately 50 percent of their total operational costs in fuel, the Balance Hybrid Electric's ability to improve economy by up to 40 percent provides an enormous financial impact. Additionally, the Balance Hybrid Electric reduces maintenance cost by up to 30 percent while typically reducing vehicle maintenance time and cost, providing opportunity for more revenue-producing customer site visits.
TruGreen was able to award this contract with the support of vouchers from California's Hybrid Vehicle Incentive Program, which provides funds for fuel efficient and environmentally friendly transportation solutions to companies operating fleets of vehicles in the state. The contract was managed by MHC Ford in Memphis, Tenn. Reading Truck Body in Reading, Pa., a leading manufacturer of service and utility bodies, provided the service bodies for the trucks. The vehicles are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2011.
More at www.azuredynamics.com.
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