New hybrid technology for old gas guzzlers
There’s good news on the horizon for environmentally-concerned garbage truck drivers (and anybody else who drives a large, heavy-duty vehicle). A new technology will allow garbage trucks to store energy via hydraulics rather than batteries, saving up to 30 of fuel. Even better, the system is significantly cheaper than hybrid battery technology. The science is referred to as hydraulic launch assist, and consists of two main components: a pump motor and an accumulator tank. The accumulator stores energy by compressing nitrogen gas using the pump during deceleration. When the driver accelerates, the energy in the compressed gas is released to drive the car.The system is being tested in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with four new garbage trucks. The U.S. DOE Clean Cities Program offered funding to the city. Clean Cities has been operating since 1993 to help local governments reduce their use of petroleum in transportation. The EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, which developed the technology, is marketing it with the help of Eaton, a global power management company.Eaton claims that the braking system increases stored energy by 75–energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat. Since the energy is used to start the vehicle, the technology should find a home with larger trucks that constantly stop and start. The price factor is also a selling point. Most large trucks need new brakes several times during the year, and each set costs around 2,000. According to Eaton, trucks using this new technology will only need the replacements once a year. An initial premium cost of 40,000 more per truck could have offset the savings, however, if the Clean Cities Program hadn’t given Ann Arbor 156,000 in federal stimulus money.