There are some fuel-efficient, gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles on the consumer market in both US and Europe, ranging from Toyota’s Prius to Ford’s Escape small sport utility vehicle. But choices have been limited for commercial vehicles. A Canadian company is working to change that by turning Ford commercial vans into hybrids. Last month, Azure signed an agreement with Ford to develop a hybrid system for E-350 and E-450 commercial vans. Ford will ship unfinished van chassis to Azure, which will add the electronics, motors and batteries needed for a hybrid vehicle. Steven Glaser, vice president of corporate affairs for Azure Dynamics in Toronto, said hybrid technology makes sense for commercial vehicles in urban environments. Shuttle buses and delivery trucks, for example, are constantly starting and stopping, and hybrids save the most fuel in such conditions. “The worse the drive cycle, the better it is for hybrid technology,” Glaser said.

How it works:

Much like Ford and Toyota hybrids, the commercial vans will use electric power at lower speeds and switch to gasoline engine power at higher speeds. When the vehicle brakes, the electric motor runs backwards, turning it into a generator that recharges the batteries.

Hybrid technology explained