Eaton to Develop Heavy-Duty Hybrid System

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ruck component manufacturer Eaton Corp. said it has begun development of a hybrid electric power system for Class 8 trucks to help boost efficiency and idle reduction, improve fuel savings and reduce emissions.

Eaton said late Thursday that the heavy-duty system will be similar in design and will share many of the same components as its medium-duty hybrid electric system built for smaller Class 4-7 vehicles, but will be adapted for Class 8 vehicles with on-highway appli-cations.

Class 8 trucks are those with gross weight of more than 33,000 pounds.

Fleets using the system will experience reduced fuel consumption while driving and when parked, Eaton said. Recent independent test results have shown a 5% to 7% savings versus a conventional Class 8 vehicle while driving, and a savings of one gallon per hour when parked.

Those savings equate to about $9,500 per truck per year in normal operation, resulting in cost savings for a typical truckload carrier with 1,000 power units to $9.5 million per year, Eaton said.

The hybrid electric power system will use an automated manual transmission with a “di-rect” hybrid system, incorporating an electric motor/generator between the output of an automated clutch and the input to the transmission, Eaton said.

Eaton is a partner in a project involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UPS Inc. and others to develop diesel-powered hybrid trucks. (Click here for previous coverage.)