Cintas Corp. will test a Workhorse Group Inc. E-Gen gasoline-electric hybrid step van in its delivery fleet during a six-month field test in Cincinnati, the company announced.

The field test will allow Cintas to use the vehicle in a real-world environment to determine how much it can help the company reduce emissions with an eye toward purchasing additional vehicles.

"We look forward to evaluating the Workhorse E-Gen vehicle," said Matthew Rose, Cintas' corporate director of fleet. "Based on the energy-efficient design, it appears that Workhorse’s unique capabilities may give us an opportunity to reduce emissions in certain delivery situations."

Cintas will deploy the vehicle on service and delivery routes.

The Workhorse E-Gen step van offers a threefold fuel economy increase over a typical gasoline-powered step van. The E-Gen power train propels the vehicle with a 2200-nm permanent magnet motor generator, along with a small internal combustion engine that turns a small electric motor to recharge the battery pack when the state of charge reaches a pre-determined level.

"Workhorse E-Gen [step vans] set a new standard for greenhouse gas reductions in the service and delivery markets, and we believe that it will set a new standard for the corporate identity uniform marketplace, an industry whose local delivery and service routes are perfectly suited for our E-Gen trucks," said Steve Burns, Workhorse's CEO.