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July 13, 2006
Diesel Hydraulic Delivery Truck Unveiled
The Environmental Protection Agency recently unveiled a hybrid diesel UPS delivery van that combines a high-efficiency diesel engine with a hydraulic propulsion system, which replaces the vehicle's conventional drivetrain and transmission. Such a vehicle could reduce the fuel costs of package delivery services like UPS by as much as 70 percent and cut harmful emissions. In laboratory testing, the hybrid achieved a 60 percent to 70 percent improvement in fuel economy and a reduction of more than 40 percent in emissions, versus current UPS trucks. The EPA and UPS plan to conduct real-world testing this year. A hydraulic hybrid has several advantages. One is that it can accept and deliver huge amounts of energy quickly, which batteries cannot. And its storage ability does not degrade over time, which is a fact of life with batteries available today. Generally speaking, though, hydraulic systems do not store as much total energy as an electrical battery does, because the storage tanks are bulky....Posted by dymaxion at July 13, 2006 07:39 PM