Peterbilt launches hybrid truck production
24 Commercial Carrier Journal September 2008 equipment n SelecTrucks is offering a fuel card valued at up to $2,000 on purchases of midroof Freightliner Columbia trucks powered by the Mercedes-Benz 4000 engine. The fuel card offer runs through Dec. 31. n Stertil-Koni USA, a provider of heavy-duty lifts, acquired lift manu-facturer ALM Corp. and Fleet America Service Technology, which markets a shallow pit-designed heavy-duty scis-sors lift. n Hunter Engineering Co. says Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations allow its B400T Brake Tester to be used to test brake compliance without a follow-up physical inspection to take noncom-plying vehicles out of service. n Mack Trucks Inc. added a new section to its website that allows cus-tomers to ask powertrain marketing manager David McKenna questions about the company's 2010 emissions solution featuring selective catalytic reduction. Go to www.macktrucks. com and click on a banner called Talking SCR. n Cox Enterprises added nine International DuraStar Hybrid Bucket Trucks to its fleet. International hybrid trucks employ a parallel-type diesel-electric hybrid architecture that is sup-plied by Eaton Corp. n Carrier Transicold launched a website for its Priority Card hold-ers, www.carrierprioritycard.com, giving customers and dealers instant access to information to manage their accounts. in brief (Continued on page 26) (Continued from page 22) Peterbilt has begun production of medium-duty hybrid trucks, deliv-ering two production Model 335 hybrid diesel-electric trucks to Napa, Calif.-based VinLux Fine Wine Transport, a joint venture between warehousing and transportation company Biagi Bros. Inc. and Jackson Family Estates. The company will operate the trucks in urban locales like San Francisco, where frequent stopping will maximize regenera-tive braking and, therefore, the fuel economy benefits of hybrids. The Class 7 Model 335 uses Eaton's hybrid-electric power system in conjunction with an electric motor that assists the Paccar PX-6 engine with supplemental torque for improved fuel economy. The sys-tem stores energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking, and then reuses it for acceleration. Among the features of the Peterbilt hybrids is a dash display to provide direct feedback to the driver regarding the charge status of the batteries and the effi-ciency of the operation. Two lithium ion batteries weighing 110 pounds provide the equivalent electric power of 28 lead acid batteries weighing 1,900 pounds, says Landon Sproull, Peterbilt's chief engineer. The batteries have a life expectancy of six to seven years, possibly up to 10 years in some applications, Sproull says. VinLux is using the 335s for urban delivery applications, but even greater fuel sav-ings as well as noise reduction are possible when using hybrids in applications like utility trucks that involve power takeoff operation, Peterbilt says. Another application for hybrids that's on the drawing boards is a battery-powered refrigerated unit, Sproull says. Our medium-duty hybrid vehicles have proven to not only provide a 30 to 50 percent increase in fuel efficiency, depending upon the application, but also dramatically reduce tailpipe emissions of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen, said Bill Jackson, Peterbilt's general manager. We're committed to going green and protecting the California environ-ment, and the Peterbilt Hybrids are a perfect solution for us, said Fred Biagi, owner of VinLux Fine Wine Transport. Although the hybrid system repre-sents a 40 percent premium over a conventional Model 335, the high price of diesel, along with federal tax credits, means that VinLux can realize a return on investment in as little as two years, Biagi says. The tax credit, currently available through 2009, is up to $12,000 for the Class 7 335 hybrid and up to $6,000 for the Class 6 330 hybrid. In a related development, Peterbilt announced a demonstration tour to allow prospective hybrid customers in the United States and Canada to evaluate the 2009 Model 330 and 335 hybrids for applications such as utility, pickup-and-delivery and dump trucks. For more information, visit www.peterbilt.com. Avery Vise Peterbilt launches hybrid truck production California wine distributor is first customer VinLux Fine Wine Transport will operate the Peterbilt Model 335 hybrid diesel-electric trucks in urban locales like San Francisco, where frequent stopping will maximize regenerative braking and, therefore, the fuel economy benefits of hybrids.