PASADENA, Calif. — Navistar International Corp. won the 2007 Blue Sky Award for its role in developing diesel-hybrid technology.

The award is presented each year by WestStart-CALSTART, a group that promotes clean and energy-efficient transportation technologies.

“The Blue Sky Award spotlights those who are ahead of the pack in moving clean, efficient fuels and vehicles to market,” said John Boesel, president and CEO of WestStart-CALSTART. “Navistar has invested the engineering, development and field assessment time earlier and faster than its competitors to make hybrids into a commercial product.”

Navistar’s bus subsidiary, IC Corporation, worked with hybrid drivetrain maker Enova Systems to develop the nation’s first plug-in diesel-electric hybrid school bus. Company officials have said that the vehicle can achieve a 70 to 100 percent increase in fuel efficiency and a 90 percent reduction in emissions.

IC secured a contract to supply the hybrid buses to a buyers consortium initiated by non-profit corporation Advanced Energy. Nineteen of the hybrids were awarded to school districts and contractors throughout the country.

IC also launched a line of diesel-electric hybrid commercial buses that use the Enova system.

In the trucking world, Navistar worked with Eaton Corp. to develop a diesel-electric hybrid urban delivery truck. The vehicle uses an electrified power supply that allows it to be driven in electric-only mode.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Dee Kapur, president of the truck group at Navistar subsidiary International Truck and Engine Corp.

“It underscores that diesel-hybrid technology is now commercially available on a mass scale.”

The award was presented in a ceremony at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Past honorees include General Motors, Toyota, Honda and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.