March 05, 2008
Coke to Buy Green Hybrid Trucks
ATLANTA – Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., Coke’s largest bottler, has agreed to buy 120 trucks this year using a diesel-electric hybrid system developed by Eaton Corp., according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The hybrid Coke trucks will be Eaton’s single largest order.
CCE and Eaton have been working together on hybrid trucks since 2003. CCE bought 20 trucks last year, but the program was still in a test phrase. The results showed a 32 -percent reduction in emissions and a 37-percent decrease in fuel consumption. The bottler has 55,000 vehicles of all types in its fleet.
Delivery trucks offer promise for the technology because hybrids work best in stop-and-go driving. The Eaton system, which uses both a diesel engine and electric motor, charges the electric battery when the vehicle is braking. The electric motor provides the most help when the truck is accelerating.