Maybe I should have worded that title a bit differently. Case studies in and of themselves might not make for the most interesting piece of reading, but this one might be an exception. That is, if you are interested in hybrid vehicles and the collaborations of very large American corporations. I am sure you are interested in hybrids, at least.

I feel compelled to add that I have always had very good service from FedEx. If you order computer parts from Newegg, which I have (more times than I should admit to), then you have probably experienced how quickly the shipment has come. That proves to me that when I order something from somebody else, and it ships through FedEx but takes weeks to get to me, it is not FedEx that is taking their dear sweat time! Another thing - ever see Cast Away? That guy really took his job at FedEx seriously.

Yeah, anyway, check out the case study (warning: .pdf file). The goal, as you will see if you read through it, was to create a replacement for the "W700" delivery vehicle. They were looking for something that got better fuel mileage (by 50 percent) and "dramatically reduced emissions". This was all done after FedEx had tested some alternative vehicles in the 1990s and came away seemingly unimpressed. But after some meetings with Environmental Defense and their auto suppliers, they realized that they should give it another shot. I'll stop there so I don't ruin the ending for you, 'cause I'm cool like that.

Related:

• Road&Track tests the FedEx W700 Hybrid
• FedEx to Add Hybrid Vans to its Fleet

[Source: Stanford via Hybrid Car & Vehicle News via Hugg]