With the results of a recent total cost of ownership study on hybrid vehicle adoption, CrossChasm Technologies is featured in OEM Off-Highway Magazine.  Read the article below:

As fleets aggressively drive toward next generation vehicle adoption, CrossChasm Technologies, a leading provider of green consulting services for fleets, released today a total cost of ownership study on hybrid vehicle adoption.  The study provides guidance for fleets on how best to uncover the true long-term cost and payback period for vehicle purchase.

The study, based on fleet operations within the City of Ottawa, City of Waterloo, and University of Waterloo, and performed by CrossChasm, was aimed at helping municipalities and other large fleet operators develop accurate fleet-specific business cases prior to the purchase of hybrid vehicles.

Key Findings of the Study

• Current fleet estimation methods comparing fuel consumption of conventional vehicles and hybrid models are widely skewed and inaccurate, severely impacting a fleet owner's ability to accurately assess total cost of ownership (TCO) and budget.  The study found that real-world fuel consumption was highly dependent on usage patterns, ranging from 6% - 68% above the advertised "sticker" values.

• Analysis of real vehicle usage patterns can improve a fleet manager's ability to accurately predict annual fuel cost savings by up to 64%, allowing fleets to generate more solid and reliable business cases for hybrid vehicle adoption, and make more informed buying decisions based on vehicle payback periods.

• When specifically considering hybrid vehicle investments, fleets must change their current procurement practices to ensure that fuel costs are factored into the purchase decision.  The study revealed that fuel savings can wildly swing from $356 up to $3,810 per vehicle per year - based on vehicle usage patterns.

The study also revealed that fuel cost estimation based on vehicle usage patterns not only benefits hybrid vehicle procurement.  The monitoring of conventional vehicle fuel consumption also significantly improved a fleet's understanding of total lifetime costs. 

As a result of the study, fleet managers are able to realize the importance of basing purchase decisions on accurate estimates of the lowest total cost of ownership to reliably account for fuel savings.    

"Next generation vehicles come at a premium purchase price and have the potential to yield substantial ROI.  But there is a need for better estimation methods to guide fleet operators in proper decision-making.  This study proves that if fleet operators have access to more accurate estimation methods, they can choose wisely, and make next generation vehicle investments that not only drive down operating costs and emissions, they'll also select vehicles with the shortest payback period," says Matt Stevens, CrossChasm CEO.

CrossChasm's focus is to help automotive manufactures build best-in-class  hybrid, electric and plug-in vehicles, and guide large-scale end users of those vehicles, such as fleet managers and fleet owners in accurately assessing the full lifecycle costs of next generation vehicle adoption. 

The full-length "Green Fleet Study" is attached.

About CrossChasm

CrossChasm Technologies is a young company founded on the principle of utilizing advance modeling and simulation to intelligently drive innovation and commercialization of advanced hybrid powertrains. The founders came from an extensive vehicle modeling background with a number of international awards recognizing their design and simulation process. CrossChasm's executive team includes seasoned entrepreneurs with a history of successful technology startups.

CrossChasm is also pursuing the development of products related to grid-to-vehicle (G2V) applications of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Specifically, CrossChasm is developing control systems to intelligently control vehicle chargers. With close ties to the University of Waterloo, CrossChasm continues to seek opportunities to form academia-industry collaborations in areas of mutual interest.

Visit their website at www.crosschasm.com.