North American Repower to Deliver First PHEV-RNG Armored Truck

North American Repower, a natural gas engine management and conversion company based in California, and Efficient Drivetrains, a developer of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) solutions, will convert a fleet of six 26,000 pound, Class-5 medium-duty armored vehicles operated by Sectran Security into PHEV vehicles that run on electricity and renewable natural gas (RNG). The collaboration supports the push in California toward a zero emissions environment.

Today, the Sectran Security trucks make frequent stops as part of their highly congested urban routes. At each stop, the engines are kept idling for security purposes, but now risk violating California’s strict diesel idling regulations, which prohibit idling the engine for more than five minutes. With the modernized trucks, Sectran can completely eliminate engine idling by operating in all-electric mode during stop-and-go operations on urban routes and in hybrid-mode during highway operations.

The demonstration trucks will enable Sectran to reduce annual diesel consumption by 31,000+ gallons, significantly reduce annual fuel costs, and reduce emissions by 99.9 percent, according to the companies.

The collaboration gained additional support from the California Energy Commission, which approved a $3 million grant award from its Energy Research and Development Division, leveraging an additional $3 million in private investment and creating 5 advanced vehicle jobs.