XL Fleet, a leader in vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, and Pivotal Investment Corporation II, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, recently announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Upon closing, the combined company will be named XL Fleet and is expected to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange under a new ticker symbol, “XL”, with an anticipated implied enterprise value of approximately $1 billion and no material debt expected to be outstanding.
XL is a high-growth industry leader in providing fleet electrification solutions, with proven, proprietary technology and electrified drive systems that work seamlessly across a wide range of vehicle classes and types. XL has become a trusted brand for more than 200 of the largest commercial and municipal fleets in North America, with more than 3,200 XL systems deployed and more than 130 million miles driven by customers to date. XL’s customer base includes FedEx, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Verizon, the City of Boston, Seattle Fire Department, Yale University, and Harvard University, among other companies, municipalities and institutions.
The company has developed a flexible proprietary electrification powertrain platform that transforms traditional fossil fuel-powered fleet vehicles into hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as they are manufactured. XL systems are currently available on a wide variety of Class 2-6 vehicles manufactured by Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, and Isuzu, and the company is on track to provide its systems in Class 7-8 vehicles in 2022.
In addition to its electric powertrain platform, XL provides real-time data monitoring and analytics, and will expand its “Electrification-as-a Service” solution, which includes power management, charging infrastructure, and onsite power and storage offerings. XL is also developing all electric offerings. The company’s rapidly deployable technology solutions position it for long-term growth in a total addressable market that is greater than $1 trillion, which incorporates the money spent on energy consumption and vehicle costs for commercial fleets globally.
XL’s management team is led by Chief Executive Officer Dimitri Kazarinoff and Founder & Chief Strategy Officer Tod Hynes. Pivotal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jon Ledecky will join the combined company’s board of directors upon completion of the transaction, as will Pivotal Directors Kevin Griffin, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of MGG Investment Group, LP, and Sarah Sclarsic, a technology entrepreneur and carbon removal researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kazarinoff commented, “We believe that this transaction will enable XL Fleet to advance and accelerate the growth of our industry-leading fleet electrification business, including a rapid expansion of our product offerings. With thousands of XL-equipped vehicles already on the road today, we are excited to continue to pave the way for fleets seeking to promote sustainability while improving operational efficiency.”
Hynes stated, “XL started its journey more than a decade ago, and today we are proud to be a leader in fleet electrification, enabling commercial businesses and municipalities across North America to perform critical work while driving decarbonization. Today’s announcement marks the natural next step in our evolution, and together with Pivotal and support from our extensive strategic investors, we look forward to furthering XL’s leadership position as we continue to help our customers save money, improve driver productivity, and reduce emissions.”
Ledecky added, “We are pleased that XL Fleet will be merged into Pivotal at an implied valuation that represents a significant discount relative to XL’s closest publicly traded peers. XL Fleet is rapidly expanding its substantial existing customer base today versus its competitors, who are merely promising customers and revenues years from now. XL’s revenues are expected to more than triple in 2021, cementing its status as the leading provider of vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleet vehicles.”
Griffin said, “Pivotal’s focus has always been on partnering with world-class management teams in sectors that have clear and lasting tailwinds. Tod and Dimitri’s vision in hybrid, plug-in, and EV across all commercial fleet classes provided a unique first-mover advantage that sets XL apart from the competition. Moreover, given Pivotal’s ESG focus, we are also particularly excited to work closely with XL as they help reduce emissions, lower total cost of vehicle ownership, and produce reliable solutions for a wide range of uses globally.”
