Hybrid Trucks * USA - Are Here for the Long (Medium and Short) Haul

An explosion in the number and kind of commercially available hybrid trucks means battery power isn't just for lightweight commuter vehicles anymore

New York, NY,USA -Scientific American, by Christopher Mims -21 April 2009: -- This year, according to the Hybrid Truck Users Forum, manufacturers will sell more than 5,000 hybrid trucks, compared with fewer than 200 just three years ago... Hybrid trucks use 20 to 50 percent less diesel than conventional vehicles do, depending on how they're used, and that adds up: FedEx calculated that its fleet of 170 hybrid–electric trucks has racked up 3.5 million miles (5.6 million kilometers) of service. The 200 hybrid trucks United Parcel Service (UPS) will add to its fleet later this year are expected to save 176,000 gallons (665,000 liters) of fuel per year, which is the equivalent of taking 100 conventional package delivery trucks off the road. Coca-Cola Enterprises is the most avid consumer of hybrid trucks in the U.S., deploying 327 hybrids out of a total fleet of 30,000... As fleet operators buy more hybrid trucks, their prices will come down, he notes. Because hybrid trucks use less diesel, they make fleet operators less vulnerable to swings in the price of fuel... "The model that we've used in the past as fleet operators—to wait and see what the market brings us, and wait and see what the government requires us to do—is frankly not a viable alternative in today's world," FPL's Survant says. "We can't afford to have the lassitude we've had historically.... I think we need an increased sense of urgency."... (Photo: sciam.com)