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As part of a public-private partnership to increase the commercial availability and use of alternative fuel vehicles, United Parcel Service announced Monday its first purchases of a little-known technology -- the hydraulic hybrid vehicle -- that promises dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits.


The Atlanta-based shipping company placed the purchase order with Navistar International Corp., headquarterd in Warrenville, Illinois. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.


The technology, originally developed in a laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and then improved upon by Cleveland-based Eaton Corp., stores energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure in a large chamber. UPS road-tested the technology two years ago and now becomes the first delivery company to place an order for hydraulic hybrid vehicles.


Disclosing the results of its road testing on Detroit routes for the first time, UPS and the EPA said at a press conference at New York's Centennial Olympic Park that the prototype vehicle had achieved a 45- to 50-percent improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional diesel delivery trucks.


UPS believes similar fuel economy improvements and a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions are achievable in daily, real-world use.


The EPA believes the technology can perform equally well in other applications such as shuttle and transit buses and refuse pick-up trucks.


UPS will deploy the first two of the new hydraulic hybrids in Minneapolis early next year. The five other hydraulic hybrids will be deployed later in 2009 and early 2010.
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Tags: Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Carbon Dioxide, Eaton Corp., Fuel Efficiency, HHV, Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle, UPS

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UPS Buys Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks; Technology Boosts Fuel Efficiency 45+ Percent was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.