KIRKLAND, WA – Kenworth Truck Company introduced its first diesel-electric hybrid truck in a service application at the recent World of Concrete Show in Las Vegas. 

Kenworth’s goal is to enhance fuel economy by up to 50 percent with the new Kenworth T270 hybrid service truck, which is expected to draw interest for use in various service applications in construction and other industries.   

“Service applications are perfect for the hybrid due to the various onboard tools and diagnostic equipment mechanics use and the stop-and-go pace of moving from location to location to fix equipment,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales. “Instead of idling the engine to run the crane and other equipment, a mechanic can operate them on electric power, which reduces emissions. That allows companies to go ‘green,’ helping the environment.” 

The Kenworth T270 hybrid is powered by a 260-hp PACCAR PX-6 engine, and features an integral transmission-mounted motor/generator, a frame-mounted 340-volt battery pack and a dedicated power management system. The power management system provides electricity to run a 10,000-pound hydraulic crane. Sundt Construction of Tempe, Ariz., will take delivery of the Class 6 truck, equipped with a Valew mechanic’s field service body. 

In addition to the hybrid service truck, Kenworth also displayed three other trucks at World of Concrete: a Kenworth W900S mixer and two Kenworth T800s – one equipped as a super dump and the other with a Conveyor Applications Systems (CAS) slinger.  

Kenworth’s quality vocational products contributed to Kenworth’s reception of the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates award for “Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Vocational Segment Class 8 Truck for the past two years in a row.”