June 11, 2008
Kenworth To Show T370 Hybrid Utility Truck at Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference June 15-18
KIRKLAND, WA - Kenworth Truck Company will display a medium duty
diesel-electric hybrid utility truck and participate in a drive-through
demonstration at the 55th annual Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference
(EUFMC) in Williamsburg, Va., June 15 to 18.
The conference will be held at the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center, 310 S. England St., and the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel Conference Center, 105 Visitor Center Dr.,
in Colonial Williamsburg.
Fleet managers will review the Kenworth T370 hybrid utility truck during the
conference’s drive-through demonstration from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, June
16, in the visitor center parking lot, adjacent to the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel Conference Center. The Kenworth
hybrid will be displayed from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the visitor center parking lot.
Kenworth also will conduct a Kenworth hybrids presentation starting at 1:30
p.m. at the company’s booth.
Kenworth goals for the medium-duty hybrids are to enhance fuel economy by up to
50 percent in utility operations and by up to 30 percent in pickup and delivery
applications. The Kenworth hybrid utility truck is equipped with a utility
bucket atop a boom. While a non-hybrid utility truck must idle to operate its
lift, the hybrid’s lift typically operates on electric power, which saves fuel
and reduces emissions.
Above 30 mph, the Kenworth hybrid operates like a standard diesel vehicle with
all power coming from the engine during steady driving conditions. Below 30
mph, it uses a combination of diesel and electricity with the system
automatically switching between the two modes of operation. Electricity
generated through regenerative braking is stored and used for acceleration,
assisting the diesel engine.
Kenworth’s hybrids go into full production this summer. Purchasers of Kenworth
hybrids, equipped with a PACCAR PX-6 engine and the Eaton hybrid system, may
qualify for a maximum federal tax credit of $6,000 (Class 6) and $12,000 (Class
7).