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The City of Ann Arbor has announced recently the first deployment in Michigan of hybrid drive recycling collection trucks.
Built by the Denton, Texas based Peterbilt Motors Company, these new trucks utilize Eaton Corporation’s Hydraulic Launch Assist hybrid power system. The four trucks, based on the Peterbilt Model 320 Hybrid with Labrie body, will operate in daily curbside recycling duty and are expected to provide up to 30% improvements in fuel economy and emissions, as well as significant reductions maintenance costs.
“Eaton is proud to support the City of Ann Arbor and its efforts to be a leader in the adoption of sustainable transportation,” said Dimitri Kazarinoff, vice president and general manager of Eaton’s Hybrid Power Systems Division. “As an early adopter of this new hydraulic hybrid technology, the city is helping to move the country forward toward a greener and more fuel-efficient fleet.”
Eaton’s Hybrid Launch Assist (HLA) technology has been tested on refuse vehicles in Fort Worth and Denver. The fuel-efficient Eaton HLA system captures the trucks’ kinetic energy during braking to assist in launching and accelerating the vehicle.
The HLA technology works by recovering up to 75% of the energy normally lost as heat during braking. This energy is recovered in the form of pressurized hydraulic fluid that is stored in an on-board accumulator until the driver next accelerates the vehicle, at which point the stored energy is recovered to assist vehicles engine.
Bearing in mind that refuse trucks can often stop and go 1000 times in a day, this energy recovery system offers the win-win scenario of reducing both fuel consumption and engine wear. In addition, testing has shown a significant improvement in maintenance costs. Brake replacement costs can potentially be reduced by four times compared to a baseline truck.
"Incorporating these types of cutting-edge technologies into our operations is critical to meeting the Mayor's Green Energy Challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%," said Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the City of Ann Arbor. "Also, the cost savings from reduced fuel use helps us continue to provide cost-effective services for our residents in these difficult economic times."
