Eaton has established a program to assist diesel truck fleet owners in applying for the $156 million in grants for diesel hybrid trucks that are available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.


Under the Environmental Protection Agency's related Diesel Emission Reduction Act, funding is available through ARRA for up to 25 percent of the cost of a new hybrid truck. Fleets are able to purchase multiple trucks. An existing diesel truck has to be taken out of service for each new hybrid truck that is purchased.

"This program is a unique opportunity for fleets to dramatically reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption while shortening their payback period for an investment in hybrid power," said Dontia Warren, market development manager for Eaton's Hybrid Power business unit. "This is a significant investment by the U.S. government to help offset the initial costs of these clean vehicle solutions. Eaton has been working with industry experts and non-profit stakeholders to help fleet owners complete grant applications to apply for funding for new hybrid trucks."

Warren said that by combining the DERA funding with an IRS tax credit and the fuel and operating savings of a hybrid versus a conventional diesel truck, the cost of a new diesel hybrid truck could be about the same as a conventional new truck over a five-year period.

"There is a sense of urgency to our effort, since the submission period for EPA regional applications begins March 17 and ends April 27," Warren said. "Our goal is to identify all of our customers who qualify and want to take advantage of this opportunity by no later than April 1."

The DERA grants are made to non-profit organizations that have jurisdiction over air quality for projects that reduce diesel emissions. The non-profit organizations submit the applications to the appropriate EPA regional office.

The Eaton hybrid system is available on truck models from International, Peterbilt, Kenworth and Freightliner. Commercial vehicle fleets with Eaton hybrid systems have accumulated more than 12 million miles in revenue service to date.

More information about the EPA's DERA program is available at www.epa.gov/cleandiesel. To request additional information about Eaton's program send inquiries to DERAFunding@Eaton.com.