New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks Roll Off By DAVID HAMMER, The Associated Press Jun 21, 2006 1:33 PM (1 hr 4 mins ago) WASHINGTON - Recognize that familiar United Parcel Service truck with the trademark brown paint job? Look twice. The government unveiled its model Wednesday, replete with a new hybrid hydraulic system. The new system replaces a truck's transmission with hydraulics and that, combined with a low-emission diesel engine, yields a 60 to 70 percent saving on fuel use. It was built for the EPA by Cleveland-based Eaton Corp. "We work on a lot of different hydraulic equipment for aerospace and this fits in very well," said Ben Hoxie, Eaton's engineering manager for the project. For the EPA, the project was about making the most immediate impact on air standards and fuel economy after President Bush called for the country to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Delivery trucks pile up the hours and miles with city driving, so they were among the most likely to benefit from a drivetrain that transfers the energy lost in braking into a series of fluid and air pumps that in turn power acceleration. The EPA estimates that UPS will take less than three years to recover the $7,000 cost of outfitting its trucks with the new hydraulic system by saving money on fuel and by reducing brake wear. Atlanta-based UPS partnered with the EPA, Eaton, International Truck and Engine Corp. and the U.S. Army in February 2005 to develop a green fleet of low-emissions vehicles.
Man, 60 to 70 percent savings? That's huge. I wonder if the EPA did any real world testing with genuine UPS truck drivers before they spat out those numbers. I know the drivers around here are either full on the throttle, or full on the brakes. They have to be to be able to get their routes done before dark. Although I doubt seriously that they will achieve those numbers, I applaud their efforts and foresight. WAY TO GO UPS!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(unruhly @ Jun 21 2006, 02:58 PM) [snapback]274780[/snapback]</div> Wouldn't those be the ideal scenarios to maximize the savings, since they are the most wasteful with a conventional ICE engine, and also appear well-suited to the hydraulic system's ability to quickly capture and release huge amounts of energy?
Don't get too excited - this is only a study about 1 f-ing brown truck. FedEx began introducing LEVs on their routes back in 2001. Brown is still brown, they're just trying to play catch up and save some face :blink: Unfortunately, the AP article above did not disclose the details This article with greater detail was released last week on http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/06/epa_and_partner.html
I heard about it recently in an NPR Technology podcast. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5567217 might be the same audio.
good application but 60-70% is a dream anyone ever seen the way those guys drive? how bout why is the army funding this? or wether this system really cots 7k yea right...nice article though
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(buyaninsight @ Aug 13 2006, 10:00 PM) [snapback]302810[/snapback]</div> Armies use fuel at a huge rate, and resupply is a bitch. Running out of fuel during a fight is deadly.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Aug 14 2006, 09:48 AM) [snapback]302957[/snapback]</div> then they should research it themselves not use tax dollars to enrich a private company
