February 2009, Work Truck - Feature

Hybrid Large Trucks: the Road to Viability

By Chad Simon

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DANNY KINGS

Engineer
Alabama Power
Fleet Size: 2,000
Hybrid Trucks in Service: 2

Alabama Power’s fleet currently has two 33,000-lb. GVWR International trucks with Eaton hybrid powertrains in service.

The fleet became interested in hybrid trucks because of fuel economy considerations and the Energy Policy Act (EPA) mandated that fleets buy electric or alternative-fuel vehicles.

A Regreening Process

The fleet has completed an 18-month field trial and has received its trucks back from being "regreened" by Eaton. Eaton upgraded the truck from research vehicles to commercial viability by taking the hybrid test components off the truck and replacing them with state-of-the-art commercially available hybrid components.

Alabama Power had the option to either buy the transmission or return it to Eaton. "We had a successful trial that exceeded our expectations so we purchased the hybrid package from Eaton," Kings says.

Results from the fleet’s field test showed the hybrid trucks were 30 percent more fuel efficient. Similar to other tests, the operators appreciated the quietness of the boom operation.

Alabama Power’s trucks idle as much as four hours per day, Kings says. One hour of operation at idle equals one gallon of fuel consumed for a typical heavy-duty truck, therefore the hybrids dramatically reduce fuel consumption.

Electrification of Auxiliaries

"There are still a lot of unknowns," Kings says. "The premium is about $50,000. Your usage and work profile greatly impacts how quickly your fuel savings will pay that back. We forecast recouping our premium in eight years, but as technology advances, the payback time should decrease."

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