Lightning Hybrids announced a partnership with National Fleet Hybrids to sell, install and distribute its hydraulic hybrid retrofit systems. The partnership brings together two companies focused on providing fuel-
efficient technologies to fleets of shuttle buses and other medium-duty vehicles.

Currently, Lightning Hybrids focuses sales on customers close to home in Loveland, Colo. The partnership with National Fleet will provide access to the hydraulic hybrid-drive system to fleets in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

The systems are designed to save fleets millions of dollars a year in fuel costs by providing fuel mileage increases of up to 40%. In addition, it greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, according to the company.

National Fleet Hybrids received a demonstration bus with the Lightning Hybrids system installed, a Ford E-450 shuttle bus, last week. It is available for test drives and will be showcased at the upcoming Massachusetts Clean Cities Coalition meeting earlier this month in Boston at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.

National Fleet Hybrids is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Van Builders Inc., a premium manufacturer of vans and shuttles that has been in business since 1992. The company recognized their customers’ need for greater fuel economy and lower maintenance costs and formed an alliance with Lightning Hybrids to provide the cutting edge hybrids technology that offers significant savings in fuel economy and brake wear.

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