FedEx Express and commercial truck-maker
Iveco say their road test of 10 hybrid vans in Italy has shown a 26.5 percent drop in fuel consumption and a reduction of 7.5 tons in CO2 emissions in six months of testing.
Each van traveled an average of 7,900 km (almost 4,909 miles) in the trial, which is being conducted in Milan and Turin and will continue until May 2010.
The light commercial hybrid diesel electric van is called an Iveco Daily. It includes a stop-and-start feature that enables the van to start in electric mode and recover energy from braking.
The van is designed to be highly maneuverable in tight spaces and on urban terrain.
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., announced plans to introduce the 10 Iveco vans to the transportation company's European fleet in 2007.
The hybrid was unveiled at the European Road Transport Show in Amsterdam the same year. Iveco is a Fiat Group company.
