BOSTON — XL Hybrids Inc., a developer of a low-cost hybrid electric powertrain designed for Class 1 to 3 commercial fleet use, announced that Jay Sandler has joined the company to lead its North American sales team. He joins the team with more than three decades of commercial vehicle sales and business development experience, including a decade of success selling alternative fuel and powertrain technology to commercial fleet buyers. In his new role, Sandler will accelerate the sales growth of the company’s hybrid electric powertrains from hundreds to thousands of units annually.
Previously, Sandler held several senior executive sales positions at IMPCO Automotive, Azure Dynamics, Navistar and Rockwell Automotive. Most recently, Sandler founded and led a commercial vehicle and commercial chassis consulting company. He has been instrumental in rapid sales and revenue growth in the alternative transportation space and has worked closely as a supplier and partner with many of the top Fortune 500 fleets across North America.
“Few people have grown a company’s sales of alternative vehicle technology from $2 million to more than $20 million, and Jay has done this twice. Our technology and value proposition is proven, and our suppliers and installation partners are ready to scale, so now is the prime time to add an industry-leading sales expert and accelerate our growth in the coming years,” said Tod Hynes, president and founder of XL Hybrids.
“I’ve introduced and marketed many high-tech and alternative energy products to fleets, including hybrid drive systems, battery electric drives, compressed natural gas and propane fuel systems, and I’m impressed with the XL Hybrids team and the simple and cost-effective hybrid drive system that it has developed,” said Sandler. “The hybrid system is already well-received by fleet operators as it reduces vehicle operating costs and delivers an attractive return on investment, so I’ll be furthering efforts to help the company bring its technology to key commercial truck and bus fleets throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
Sandler earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering from Western Michigan University and an MBA from Central Michigan University.
XL Hybrids has secured hundreds of fleet vehicle orders this year from Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx. The company recently partnered with The Knapheide Manufacturing Co. to provide nationwide availability of its hybrid powertrain through Knapheide’s existing ship-through process.
