XL Fleet and Apex Clean Energy announced April 7 that XL Fleet is electrifying Apex’s vehicle fleet as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce its carbon emissions.

Apex’s first investment in vehicle electrification, the order will provide 19 electrified Ford F-series pickup trucks, including ten plug-in hybrid electric and nine hybrid electric systems for pickups in its service fleet, for delivery in the second quarter of 2021. The strategic mix of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles being deployed aligns with Apex’s current sustainability goals and operational requirements, while allowing it to consider expanding its electrification investments as it replaces more vehicles in the future.

XL Fleet’s electrification systems will enable Apex to equip its project teams with a diverse array of cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles as Apex installs renewable power generation equipment and facilities throughout North America. Apex is planning to deploy the plug-in hybrid vehicles to its operations employees, who will have access to charging infrastructure being installed at operational wind and solar facilities. The hybrid vehicles are expected to be used by Apex’s on-site construction team, who currently do not have regular access to charging infrastructure and will benefit from the regenerative braking provided by the XL Fleet hybrid system. In the past decade, Apex has commercialized $9 billion worth of wind and solar projects representing nearly seven gigawatts of clean energy opportunity.

This deployment of electrified pickups reflects XL Fleet’s broad lineup of plug-in hybrid and hybrid solutions for some of the fleet industry’s most popular light and medium duty work trucks, which also includes the Company’s newest plug-in and hybrid offerings for Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD models.

The Ford F-series pickups being electrified for Apex were acquired by XL Fleet’s Fleet Management Company (FMC) partner Enterprise Fleet Management as part of this transaction.