In 2004, FedEx Express introduced into its delivery fleet the FedEx OptiFleet E700, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) delivery truck.

This new HEV delivery truck has been found to decrease particulate emissions by 96%, reduce smog-causing emissions (NOx and HC) by 65%, and reduce fuel consumption by over 30%.

About the HEV Strategy

FedEx Express and Environmental Defence started this collaborative project in 2000 in order to create a delivery truck that would dramatically decrease emissions and fuel use.

Since the beginning of the project, progress toward goals has been assessed against the 1999 FedEx Express W700 standard delivery vehicle, which represents the most common model in the FedEx Express fleet.

Following tests in Sacramento, California, the service launch of the new vehicle started in March 2004 to demonstrate the commercial viability of the lower-emission powertrain in heavy-duty vehicles. These trucks are meeting environmental goals that are based on lab testing at the Southwest Research Institute, which found a particulate matter reduction of 96%, a NOx reduction of 65% and a decrease of fuel consumption by 36%, when compared with the 1999 baseline vehicle. To the driver, the HEV is virtually indistinguishable from the standard model in terms of utility and performance.

NgEK - The Brains Behind the System^sm

The control system for the Diesel Electric Hybrid PowerTrain was developed by NgEK, Cincinnati, Ohio.  NgEK began development on the project in late 2002 and had an early production truck running by February of 2003.  In June of 2003 the system was tested at the Southwest Research Institute vehicle dynamometer facility and demonstrated fuel economy and emission performance better than all previous prototypes.  The control algorithm went from 'clean sheet' to the end customer is less than 18 months.

The NgEK hybrid strategy absorbs the maximum amount of braking energy, and then determines when to use this energy to add electric torque at the optimal time to save the maximum amount of fuel.  The system uses knowledge of the powertrain efficiencies along with current and historical conditions to select the best combination of diesel and electric power to provide as much as a 75% increase in fuel economy and a similar reduction in vehicle emissions.  This technology currently accounts for over 82% of the market.  The NgEK system has had no failures, a testament to the software quality and design robustness.