The Green Road – October 2009

Stimulus Funding To Assist Eaton In Deployment Of Commercial Hybrid Vehicles
Eaton Corporation announced its truck and electrical businesses will support a $45.4 million grant to produce plug-in hybrid electric power systems for 378 vehicles. The funding is part of the recently announced $2.4 billion in grants by the U.S. Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Eaton will work with grant recipient South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and other affiliates, including the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI), Altec Industries, Compact Power Inc., Ford Motor Company and Southern California Edison, in the deployment of plug-in hybrid electric commercial vehicles to more than 50 utility and municipal fleets nationwide. Eaton also will provide infrastructure for the electrical charging of these vehicles.

“This funding is an important milestone in the advancement of plug-in hybrid vehicles, and Eaton is pleased to be a recipient,” says Alexander M. Cutler, Eaton chairman and chief executive officer.

The development and deployment of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and accompanying charging infrastructure will take place over 18 months. Vehicles will be evaluated over a two-year period.

“The production and demonstration of this fleet of vehicles is a significant step in driving PHEV technology beyond the personal transportation platform to a daily work application,” says Mark Duvall, director of Electric Transportation at EPRI.

In the utility truck application, the plug-in hybrids will be based on the Ford F-550 chassis and will have a total range of at least 300 miles. The systems are said to provide fuel economy improvement of up to 70 percent when compared to a standard utility vehicle, with similar reductions in emissions and noise. The entire system can be recharged by plugging it into a standard 120- or 240-volt electrical outlet. In addition, the trucks will be capable of powering auxiliary equipment and tools while stopped at a worksite.

An important element in the adoption of these vehicles is the electrical infrastructure for plug-in charging. Eaton will work with EPRI to develop plug-in station technology for use by utilities and other customers across the country.

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Daimler Trucks North America To Participate In DOE Clean Cities Programs
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced its selection of 25 cost-share projects under the Clean Cities program that will be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) will participate in at least seven program awards representing $32.9 million in funding to be applied toward the purchase and support of 638 hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles by several leading national fleet operators.
Working with its customers and dealers, DTNA helped to spearhead the submission of these winning applications, which represent nearly $100 million in project value including more than $84 million in vehicle costs and approximately $14 million in alternative fuel refueling infrastructure across the United States.

The projects call for the deployment of multiple commercially available advanced and alternative fuel products offered by the company under its Freightliner and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) lines, including: hybrid electric, hybrid hydraulic, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid natural gas (LNG) trucks and tractors.

The DOE funding will be used to support the manufacture and sale of the following truck models: Business Class M2e 106 hybrid electric trucks and tractors, Business Class M2 112 LNG tractors, Business Class M2 112 CNG trucks and tractors, FCCC hybrid electric walk-in vans, FCCC hydraulic hybrid walk-in vans and FCCC CNG walk-in vans.

“We are excited to have contributed to these successful applications for DOE funds and pleased to help our customers deploy advanced Freightliner technologies in their fleets,” says Mark Lampert, senior vice president sales, Daimler Trucks North America.

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Kenworth Receives Innovation Award
Kenworth Truck Co. recently received a 2009 Exemplary Innovation Award from the California Economic & Workforce Development program in association with the California Community Colleges.

Kenworth was recognized for its participation in a pioneering partnership to develop the Liquefied Natural Gas Heavy Truck Technician Training Program implemented at Long Beach City College (LBCC). Kenworth shares the award with LBCC, the Port of Long Beach, Westport Innovations, Cabrillo High School and Long Beach Unified School District.

“This program is training service technicians and students to service liquefied natural gas vehicles, thus helping to meet the growing need for LNG-certified technicians in California,” says Bill Kozek, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president.

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Mitsubishi Fuso Focuses On Its Green Vehicle Accomplishments
In keeping with its dedication to reducing its environmental footprint, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (MFTA) has focused on environmental improvements, both in its truck designs and in its operations.

Its recently redesigned FK and FM (Class 6 and 7) models include more recyclable materials in their corner panels and step walls, use recycled materials in the wheelhouse covers and use less lead and hexavalent chromium in their exterior components. Further, interior trim features reduced-VOC materials and the instrument panel now features an easy-to-recycle olefin finish. The cab design was specifically optimized to reduce aerodynamic drag, with a 4 percent reduction achieved in chassis with a full-height van body, and as much as a 25 percent reduction in chassis with low-profile or flatbed bodies.

MFTA’s parent company, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., also has been active in alternative fuels development over the last decade and has been selected to house Daimler AG’s new Global Hybrid Center. Its expertise has led to the development of a diesel/electric hybrid light medium-duty truck, the Canter EcoHybrid, that is now in European fleet testing. Initial results show that it consumes up to 15 percent less fuel than traditional diesels while significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.