Fleets Band Together to Speed Hybrid Development
New vehicles would reduce emissions, improve fuel economy.
Twenty-one of the biggest mixed fleets in North America are working together to help speed the development of a cost-effective, light-duty work truck that reduces exhaust emissions while improving fuel economy compared to current vehicles.
These fleets make up the Light-Duty Hybrid Action Group facilitated by the National Truck Equipment Association. They represent a cross-section of work truck users, including utilities, state and county transportation departments and private companies. Combined, they manage more than 200,000 vehicles across Classes 1-8.
"Many of the participating organizations already have some hybrid vehicles in their fleets, including passenger cars and utility line trucks," says Doyle Sumrall, NTEA director of strategic opportunities. "They are all interested in replacing some of their gasoline or diesel work trucks with hybrid models for a number of reasons, including reducing pollution and improving their fuel consumption profile."
The Action Group has also discussed potential side benefits of incorporating the new technology, he notes, including the reduction or elimination of idling, the ability to perform a work activity without the engine running, and a reduction in brake maintenance.
ServiceMaster, a franchise service company with brands including TruGreen ChemLawn, Terminix and Merry Maids, requested that NTEA facilitate a hybrid action group in spring 2006. The NTEA has monitored hybrid initiatives in the work truck and trailer industry since the concept began to determine how the technology might impact its members. As hybrid and alternative fuel technology has become commercially viable, the association agreed to facilitate the group to further technical knowledge on the subject.
"The association's role in the group is to help participants develop an understanding of current technology so they can make informed decisions about deploying it in their fleets," Sumrall says. "At the same time, we are working to bring manufacturers, upfitters, end-users and other organizations together to speed commercially viable technology to market."
One of the organizations instrumental in providing the NTEA with support and insight in facilitating the Action Group's initial activities is WestStart-CalStart's Hybrid Truck Users Forum. WestStart-CalStart is a non-profit organization that works with the public and private sectors to develop advanced transportation technologies and foster companies' efforts that will help clean the air, lessen dependence on foreign oil, reduce global warming and create jobs.
Its Hybrid Truck Users Forum is a user-driven program focused on assisting the commercialization of heavy-duty hybrid technologies. HTUF works to help truck manufacturers and end-users move to pre-production manufacturing levels and deployment based on common specifications. To provide a baseline for the NTEA Light-Duty Hybrid Action Group, HTUF leaders have shared the knowledge and protocols the organization has developed over the last five years.
The Light-Duty Hybrid Action Group is initially focusing on hybrid light-duty vans and pick-up trucks that could be incorporated into participants' individual procurement schedules. They are interested in cost-competitive new vehicles that offer at least the same utility as current models, while providing significant reductions in fuel consumption and operating emissions.
The group will host its fourth meeting on March 6 at The Work Truck Show 2007 and the 43rd Annual NTEA Convention, at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
As a result of input from the group, the NTEA has scheduled a number of additional hybrid and alternative fuel awareness-building activities to bring together all interested parties at The Work Truck Show 2007.
A "Hybrid Truck and Alternative Fuels Summit" will kick things off on Tuesday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The summit includes multiple presentations led by industry experts on important considerations for alternative fuel vehicle deployment and vehicle hybridization. Presenters include Bill Van Amburg, senior vice president of WestStart-CalStart; Nigel N. Clark, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University; and Thomas Grothous and Andy O'Neill, College of Technologies deans at University of Northwestern Ohio. Participating industry professionals, including upfitters, equipment manufacturers and fleets, are welcome to attend the summit to learn what opportunities this emerging technology could provide to their respective organizations.
International Truck and Engine Corp. will host a networking reception following the summit to showcase its latest hybrid offering.
Work Truck Show 2007 attendees also can take part in a Hybrid Ride-and-Drive event on March 7 and 8. The Ride-and-Drive will showcase vehicles offering the highest level of technological advancement in hybrid technology or alternative fuel applications.
A "Stepping into the Future" Pavilion offers attendees the opportunity to check out the latest hybrid or alternative fuel technology initiatives and products on the show floor. This is one more way that attendees will benefit by being exposed to the latest technology through a state-of-the art look at what is happening on a commercial basis.
The Work Truck Show runs March 7-9, with the convention (including nearly 40 educational sessions) beginning March 6. More information about the hybrid programs and other educational opportunities at The Work Truck Show and NTEA Convention is available at
The revolutionary hybrid engine technology developed and introduced by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., Eaton and Detroit Diesel will be on public display for the first time at two of the trucking industry's largest shows this year.
The first of its kind in the medium-duty truck industry, the hybrid walk-in van chassis from FCCC will make its debut at the Technology & Maintenance Council's 2007 Annual Exhibition, Feb. 6-8 in Tampa, Fla. Shortly after the TMC show, a fully configured hybrid electric walk-in van will be available for driving demonstrations, this time at the NTEA Work Truck Show Hybrid Ride & Drive, being held March 7-9 in Indianapolis.
Visitors to either show will have the unprecedented opportunity to get an up-close look at the groundbreaking technology behind the hybrid walk-in van chassis from FCCC.
Hybrid walk-in vans are built on FCCC's MT-45 SR chassis platform, which provides all of the operating benefits of a standard Freightliner walk-in van chassis along with the added value and savings from the hybrid-electric powertrain. Hybrid electric-powered walk-in vans from FCCC have shown a 50 percent improvement in fuel economy as well as a significant reduction in emissions.
FCCC is the first in the medium-duty truck industry to develop the hybrid chassis technology and introduce it to market. FedEx and UPS have both purchased trucks with hybrid walk-in van chassis from FCCC for revenue-generating markets.
The technology powering the hybrid chassis works by using lithium-ion batteries that capture and store energy during the "regenerative braking" phase of the vehicle's operation. This provides a constant source of stored electrical power on demand. The battery is charged through the powertrain, meaning there's no need for a power cord or electrical outlet.
Emissions Authority continued...
