PHEV-RNG armoured truck - protects it all

© EDISome vehicles just have to big, heavy and fuel-thirsty. While you can't really curb their apetite, you can feed them on cleaner fuel

According to a claim made by the vehicle's developers – North American Repower (NAR) and Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) – combining a plug-in hybrid and methane produced from renewable sources (biomass) allows the otherwise gas-guzzling armoured truck cut emissions down by as much as 99,9%. Impressed? Well, you should be. Let us tell how it's done.

You see, for security reasons armoured trucks are kept idling at each stop they make (they must be ready for driving immediately in case of danger). With the plug-in hybrid system on board, the new trucks (a fleet of six, operated by Sectran Security in California) don't need to idle – they switch to EV mode when they stop and are as ready for quick take-off as their combustion engine-powered counterparts, only without the pointless emissions.

Partial electrification is just one side of the story, the other being replacement of diesel with methane. The switch means the operator of the vehicles will be able to displace over 31 thousand gallons (ca. 117,5 thousand litres) of diesel fuel a year and reduce emissions by a staggering 99,9%, including particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. And we're talking of as few as six vehicles here!

We're excited to be partnering with EDI on this breakthrough innovation. We believe integrating our renewable natural gas system with EDI's PHEV technology will enable fleet managers to quickly move from petroleum-based fuels to domestically available, cleaner-burning natural gas and electricity. We're particularly excited to be demonstrating this technology in a vehicle that by its very nature requires exceptional reliability in a high security environment.

John Reed, CEO of North American Repower

The integration of NAR's natural gas conversion technology with EDI's high-efficiency PHEV solutions is extremely valuable to the marketplace as it extends options available to commercial fleet operators as they look to green their fleets and comply with California's emissions reduction requirements. Our partnership enables organizations to focus on their immediate need to comply with regulations, while also benefitting from reduced fuel costs and full vehicle performance.

Joerg Ferchau, CEO of Efficient Drivetrains, Inc.

There's no accident in why the new PHEV-RNG armoured trucks are being first launched in California – the state has very strict emission standards and had the trucks not been modified to become cleaner, they could be banned and withdrawn from use, which is not really an option. Will other states – ones with more lenient emission laws – follow and adopt those clean and green vehicles just for the sake of getting cleaner air, with no legal obligation to do so? Let's hope so.