|
|
ArvinMeritor recently presented Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Ark., with a prototype heavy-duty truck equipped with the first Meritor diesel-electric drivetrain. Wal-Mart will test and evaluate the vehicle in regular linehaul service at one of its distribution centers throughout 2009.
"While most hybrid systems today are best suited for start-stop applications, our hybrid drivetrain is specifically designed for linehaul, over-the-road trucks, the largest segment of the commercial vehicle population," said Carsten J. Reinhardt, president of ArvinMeritor's Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) business.
The dual-mode hybrid drivetrain combines both mechanical and electrical propulsion systems. Under 48 mph, vehicle propulsion is delivered entirely through an electric motor with power from lithium ion batteries. These batteries are recharged through regenerative braking and/or an engine-driven generator.
As the vehicle approaches highway speed the drivetrain phases to a diesel-powered system with the electric motor providing power only as required, allowing for total system optimization. The system has the ability for zero-emission mode over a wide range of vehicle driving conditions, allowing the truck to operate in places where emissions are restricted, like a port or urban area.
The truck is one of a number of hybrid and alternative-fueled vehicles Wal-mart is testing in its private fleet.
Additionally, the batteries provide continuous power for hotel loads during an overnight rest period, eliminating the need for engine idling or other redundant anti-idling systems. Electrification of accessories such as the air or AC compressors provides further efficiency benefits.
More info: www.arvinmeritor.com
Environment: Related News
2/5/2010 - Obama Announces Comprehensive Plan For Clean Energy
At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors, President Barack Obama laid out plans to boost biofuels production and reduce our dependence on foreign oil....
More >
1/27/2010 - TMC Transportation Taps RIDE Grant
TMC Transportation has received a $680,500 grant through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' Reduce Iowa's Diesel Exhaust (RIDE) program....
More >
1/26/2010 - Trucking Coalition, DOT to Sponsor Green Truck Webinar
The latest in environmental issues and green technologies will be highlighted in a Feb. 11 webinar hosted by the Trucking Industry Mobility and Technology Coalition....
More >
1/21/2010 - UPS Adds 245 CNG Trucks to Fleet
UPS has tapped 245 new delivery trucks powered by compressed natural gas, which will be used in cities in Colorado and California....
More >
1/20/2010 - GE Capital Processes Over $2.5 Million in Hybrid, Alternative Fuel Rebates
GE Capital Fleet Services has processed more than $2.5 million in rebates for customers as part of the Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles Rebate Program in 2009....
More >
1/19/2010 - Barriers to Commercialization Still Exist For Hybrid Truck Industry
Hybrid drivetrain technology has the potential to improve fuel economy by 20 to 50 percent on medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The technology can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants by the same percentage. With such benefits to the trucking industry, why is the hybrid truck industry still in an early stage, almost 10 years behind the market introduction of passenger hybrids?...
More >
1/12/2010 - U.S. Shells Out $187 Million For Fuel Efficiency Projects
U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu has announced a more than $187 million investment in nine projects aimed at improving fuel efficiency in heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles....
More >
1/11/2010 - UPS' Eaton Delivery Hybrids Get Nod From the Feds For Fuel Economy
A year-long evaluation of the hybrid-electric step delivery vans used by UPS yielded about a 29 percent improvement in fuel economy, which averaged about 13 miles per gallon, according to analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Funded by the DOE's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA), NREL's Fleet Test & Evaluation (FT&E) team evaluated six of these hybrid vans at a UPS location in Phoenix over the last 12 months...
More >
1/11/2010 - Study Points to Emerging Truck Technologies As Fuel Savers
Fuel consumption on new tractor-trailers could be lowered by 20 percent starting in 2012 and as much as 50 percent in 2017 through the use of such emerging technologies as engine improvements, transmission enhancements, better aerodynamics and changes in systems...
More >
