MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Purolator Courier has added to its fleet of environmentally-friendly trucks with an order of 115 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) for curbside deliveries.

The courier company has identified fuel usage and air emissions as two areas where it could reduce its environmental footprint and has turned to HEVs to help reduce both. The latest order comes four months after Purolator introduced the first diesel hybrid delivery vans into its fleet. The new trucks are being purchased from Azure Dynamics Corporation.

Purolator officials claim the company’s existing hybrids have racked up more than 20,000 kilometres of in-service mileage. The first of the new HEVs will be put into service in major Canadian cities with the first of these trucks expected to begin operation in 2006.

"Given commercial realities, Purolator is committed to doing what it can to have a positive impact on the environment. Maintaining our delivery standards to our customers is very important to us, so we are very pleased that the technology is performing at the high specifications that we established at the outset. The performance gives us the required confidence to embark on the next phase of fleet replacement with Azure’s hybrid electric vehicle technology," said Robert Johnson, president and CEO of Purolator.

Pre-production testing of the HEVs has shown them to reduce up to 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional gas/diesel delivery vehicles. Purolator officials say the company will add up to 400 hybrids to its fleet each year.

"The 115 hybrid electric vehicle order is the largest of its kind in the delivery industry. We are proud to be associated with Purolator and believe their bold leadership will be instrumental in changing the way the industry does business. Azure will continue to achieve and exceed the performance standards necessary for Purolator and others to make such ground breaking orders," said Campbell Deacon, CEO of Azure Dynamics.

HEVs are best suited for stop-and-go applications such as local pickup and delivery. Energy is regenerated through braking and stored in the battery for driving, Azure explains.