UPS delivery trucks using Eaton Corp.'s hybrid system were significantly more fuel efficient than diesel models, and maintenance costs were lower, a new federal study reported this month.
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory compared a fleet of Eaton hybrids to diesel trucks at two Arizona UPS delivery centers. With about 13 miles per gallon, the hybrids were 29 percent more fuel efficient than the lighter diesel models. Maintenance costs were about 8 percent lower for the hybrids.
In a news release, UPS director of maintenance and engineering Robert Hall said he hopes the test results will help popularize hybrid commercial vehicles.
The federal report said while the plain diesel and the hybrid fleets were used in the same market, UPS used the vehicles differently. UPS used the hybrids in urban routes where they were more likely to make frequent stops. It used the traditional diesel trucks for longer trips that included highway driving. Had the company used the diesel trucks on the more-demanding city routes, the fuel-economy differences would have been higher, the report said.
UPS bought 50 hybrid systems from Eaton in 2007. The parcel company has said several times that it liked the performance of the vehicles, and it ordered another 200 this year. The federal study also showed how much of a work-in-progress the hybrid systems are. While maintenance costs were low for the hybrids, the trucks were out of service for repairs longer than their diesel counterparts because it took more time to get replacement parts.
The vehicle recharges its batteries by capturing energy normally lost during braking.
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory compared a fleet of Eaton hybrids to diesel trucks at two Arizona UPS delivery centers. With about 13 miles per gallon, the hybrids were 29 percent more fuel efficient than the lighter diesel models. Maintenance costs were about 8 percent lower for the hybrids.
In a news release, UPS director of maintenance and engineering Robert Hall said he hopes the test results will help popularize hybrid commercial vehicles.
The federal report said while the plain diesel and the hybrid fleets were used in the same market, UPS used the vehicles differently. UPS used the hybrids in urban routes where they were more likely to make frequent stops. It used the traditional diesel trucks for longer trips that included highway driving. Had the company used the diesel trucks on the more-demanding city routes, the fuel-economy differences would have been higher, the report said.
UPS bought 50 hybrid systems from Eaton in 2007. The parcel company has said several times that it liked the performance of the vehicles, and it ordered another 200 this year. The federal study also showed how much of a work-in-progress the hybrid systems are. While maintenance costs were low for the hybrids, the trucks were out of service for repairs longer than their diesel counterparts because it took more time to get replacement parts.
The vehicle recharges its batteries by capturing energy normally lost during braking.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment