HYBRID 2000

Detroit-based Azure Dynamics says it has delivered a hybrid-electric step van to the U.S. Postal Service, opening the door to potential additional sales.

The two-ton van, to be used in Long Island, N.Y. in a 12-month test, is based on the Ford F450 commercial truck chassis.

It mates a Ford 5.4-liter V8 engine with an electric drive system that pulls its power from a 60 kilowatt nickel-metal hydride battery.

The company's proprietary "Balance" hybrid system allows for all-electric dive for short distances at low speeds, shuts down the gas engine at idle, provides electric assist for acceleration and uses regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.

Azure has been selling the vans with the new hybrid system since last summer.

There's a pretty good business case for hybrid delivery  trucks, which see a lot of low-speed, stop-and-go driving that enables regenerative braking systems to keep batteries charged, maximizing the amount of time a hybrid truck can operate in all-electric mode.

Curt Huston, Azure Dynamics' chief operating officer, said in a statement released this morning that the company's system for commercial delivery vans can "improve fuel economy by up to 40 percent, save 30 percent on maintenance costs and reduce greenhouse emissions by 30 percent."

Azure also makes hybrid buses and earlier this week announced the sale of five 14-passenger "Balance" hybrid buses to the Volusia County, fla., transit agency.