Supermiller

Walmart, Peterbilt and Eaton partner on hybrid

Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Peterbilt Motors Co. and Eaton Corp., is supporting development of new hybrid engine system for its trucks.

Peterbilt and Eaton previously partnered to develop hybrid electric Class 6-7 vehicle platforms and Class 8 hydraulic unit. With a successful test and evaluation program, this new heavy-duty hybrid electric power system will be available in 2009.

During third-party testing, the Eaton Hybrid Power System routinely has achieved a 5 percent to 7 percent fuel savings versus comparable, non-hybrid engines. This may result in a savings of 1 gallon of fuel per hour while idling.

At the current average diesel price of almost $2.50 per gallon, those savings equate to as much as $10,000 per operational truck per year.

The new system features an automated manual transmission with a parallel-type “direct†hybrid unit, incorporating an electric motor/generator located between the output of an automated clutch and the input to Eaton’s Fuller UltraShift transmission.

The system captures energy generated by the diesel engine and recovers energy normally lost during braking and stores the energy in batteries. That electric torque is then sent through the motor/generator and blended with engine torque to improve vehicle performance, operate the engine in a more fuel-efficient range for a given speed and/or operate only with electric power in certain situations.

The system’s batteries power the heating, air conditioning and vehicle electrical systems while the engine is off. When the idle reduction mode is active, engine operation is limited to battery charging, an automatically controlled process that takes approximately 5 minutes per hour to fully charge.

In the new design, a proprietary feature minimizes engine vibration during start-up and shutdown during the recharge periods, allowing the driver to rest without interruption.

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