UPS adds hybrid electric trucks to fleet
UPS said it had added 50 next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks to its fleet that will operate in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. These new trucks join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use.
The trucks promise “a 45 percent increase in fuel economy in addition to a dramatic decrease in vehicle emissions,” said Robert Hall, director of UPS ground fleet engineering.
The new hybrid power system allows use of a smaller diesel engine than would be required in a conventional delivery truck, thus saving on fuel and pollution-causing emissions.
The hybrid electric vehicles also use regenerative braking, meaning the energy generated when stopping the moving vehicle is captured and returned to the battery system as electrical energy.
The HEV fleet will feature two different size vehicles from Workhorse Custom Chassis and Freightliner LLC and a hybrid power system from Eaton Corp.
The trucks will look the same as other brown UPS vehicles, but will have script on the side identifying them as hybrid electrics.
The trucks will operate with lithium ion batteries, which offer a faster recharging, and longer life than batteries used in previous generations of HEVs. Additionally, these vehicles are quieter.
The UPS alternative fuel fleet includes trucks powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and electricity. UPS also has been testing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hydraulic hybrid technology in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
