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Jul 20, 2008

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Hybrids part of the long haul at Volvo's Hagerstown

Trucking companies will be cautious, careful of seeing economic benefit and product quality

Hagerstown,NC,USA -The Herald Mail, by ARNOLD S. PLATOU -July 19, 2008 — ... For at least three years, a team of engineers there, together with others in three countries overseas, have been working intensively to develop hybrid engine systems for the garbage, long-haul and other markets buying Volvo and Mack trucks... The plant, which employs 1,278 people making engines and transmissions for Mack and Volvo trucks, has been a key economic driver in the local economy since Mack moved to Hagerstown in 1961... Now, hybrid — a combination of electric and diesel power — looms as the next all-important fuel-saving, pollution-reducing technology as truckers grapple with rapidly rising diesel prices and ever-tightening pollution standards the world over... Picture the usual garbage truck. Its quick, frequent stop/start movements — 1,200 stops per day is not unusual — are a good way to begin understanding hybrid and its potential... The movements, as the driver tries to cover his territory quickly, are a big energy waster. Diesel fuel is used to propel the truck forward, and then, much of that built-up energy is lost as he brakes to a halt... An electric motor, coupled to a diesel engine, can convert that lost energy to electricity and, in the process, help slow the vehicle. In addition, when the recaptured energy is stored, it can be used later — instead of diesel fuel — to help the truck speed up...An electric motor also is better — and quieter — than a diesel engine at propelling a fully loaded 66,000-pound refuse truck forward the first several feet, Emile Charest, manager of engine product development for Volvo Powertrain North America said. But the diesel is better at powering the vehicle through, so a hybrid uses the advantages of both, he said... Volvo’s focus to reduce overall U.S. dependence on diesel and gasoline use, fuel savings in long-haul trucks would help most because there are so many such trucks, according to a report... One discovery that really would benefit a long-haul truck more than a stop/start truck is the use of the electric motor in a hybrid system to power equipment that isn’t needed all the time, Anthony Greszler, vice president of advanced engineering said... This would include such equipment as power steering, fans, air conditioning and the air compressor... The compressor, for instance, is used to operate the brakes. Right now, on a diesel engine truck, the compressor is running, using more fuel, whenever the engine is running, Greszler said... In the same way, there are savings in using an electric motor to power the air conditioning and heating units in the truck cab, instead of idling the diesel engine for several hours while the driver sleeps, Greszler said...Thus far, Mack has built three hybrid test trucks that are dump trucks and two that are refuse trucks. Two of the dump trucks are at Air Force bases in Nevada and Hawaii, and one is being tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland... In addition to the handful of employees doing such work here, there are Volvo teams in Sweden and France, and at Nissan Diesel, which is part of Volvo, in Japan. In Sweden, where Volvo is headquartered, the U.S. and Swedish governments are helping pay for research on hybrid technology for long-haul trucks... So when will Volvo begin mass production of the new hybrids? Its top official, President and CEO of Volvo Truck Corp., which is headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden, Staffan Jufors, is quoted this month by Green Car Congress, as saying, “We will start producing hybrid trucks in 2009.” ... “We’re not in a position to make any specific product announcement at this time,” spokesman James A. McNamara said. “We are in the development and test vehicle phase.”... (Photos by Colleen Helf - 1 · Emile Charest, manager of engine product development for Volvo Powertrain North America, talks about new technology being developed for diesel engines - Photo 2 · Anthony Greszler, vice president of advanced engineering, talks about new diesel engine technology at Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown)

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