The familiar brown trucks that deliver packages from Maine to California will be getting a tad greener by early 2009. UPS has ordered seven hybrid hydraulic vehicles (HHVs) from Eaton to be deployed between early 2009 and spring 2010. This order comes on the heels of a recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and UPS highlighting the benefits of a two-year prototype run in the Detroit area. The company’s HHV order makes it the first major parcel carrier to adopt HHVs as a part of its regular fleet.
The UPS/EPA report cited a 45% increase in fuel efficiency for the prototype HHV compared to the company’s fleet of standard diesel trucks. Eaton and EPA had tested the HHV with a fuel savings of 70% in preliminary lab testing. UPS executives feel that this increase in fuel efficiency as well as a potential 30% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions could be achieved in its standard routes. While the 45% figure seems a bit high for the HHV prototype, UPS could realize major financial savings if the HHV gets anywhere near that figure.
The UPS HHV employs a hydraulic propulsion system that eliminates wasted energy produced by an efficient diesel engine. The stop-and-start routine of the typical UPS truck makes the HHV’s regenerative braking necessary to ensure fuel efficiency. UPS and the EPA state that up to 70% of the fuel savings in the HHV was achieved in the prototype as stored brake energy was employed for acceleration.
UPS plans to replace traditional trucks with two HHVs in Minneapolis by the end of March 2009. The remaining HHVs from the initial order will be distributed in other markets to test vehicles in different environments. While UPS has more than 93,000 trucks running worldwide, these seven HHVs may become the face of this famed delivery serivce in the future.
UPS may be the frontrunner in hybrid hydraulic vehicles but the company has been a leader in hybrid vehicles among major U.S. corporations. The company has 50 hybrid-electric delivery vehicles in places like Dallas and Atlanta along with nearly 1,000 package cars running on compressed natural gas (CNG). As UPS continues to solidify its role as a leader in hybrid delivery vehicles, the hope is that other companies follow the same pattern. The myth that commercial hybrids are too expensive for growing businesses has been countered by the EPA’s contention that the HHV’s fuel efficiency would recoup higher production costs within three years.
