Knoxville-based IdleAire Technologies was one of several companies introduced this week in Washington as a member of the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership.

The partnership is a new voluntary effort aimed at reducing freight and fleet sector energy consumption, pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt recognized IdleAire and other partners during a ceremony recognizing the first companies to join the public-private effort to promote cleaner, more efficient ground freight transportation.
IdleAire will contribute to the partnership’s goal to reduce 33 to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year by 2012. Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas, and nitrogen oxide is an air pollutant that contributes to smog.
IdleAire COO David Everhart said his firm’s most significant contribution to the program over the long term will be the company’s ATE technology, which gives the fleets’ drivers the ability to turn the trucks off instead of idling during required rest periods. Every hour a truck is hooked up to the IdleAire system saves fuel, reduces emissions, and counts toward a partnership fleet’s goals.
"It’s real simple," said Everhart. "If a truck has a window, one of our $10 universal window adaptors is all that’s required. The return on the $10 retrofit investment is generally one night without idling. This is a clean, cost-effective solution that removes the need to idle a truck and it saves fleets money."
The IdleAire system furnishes the cab of every truck parked in an equipped space with electrical shore power, HVAC, a Pentium-speed computer with color touch screen, Internet, E-mail, an Ethernet connection, wireless Internet, satellite television, a telephone connection for incoming calls and free local calls, movies and driver training programs.
For more information about IdleAire, visit www.idleaire.com.