NY Department of Sanitation testing hybrid trucks
2 June 2009
During an event in New York Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) received the first vehicles representing four new hybrid technologies, including three refuse collection trucks and one hybrid rack truck. The refuse collection vehicles, which will soon be picking up residential garbage in the city, and the rack truck, which is used for lot cleaning, snow operations and for hauling of heavy materials, are the first in the United States.
A number of vehicles featuring the four diesel-hybrid drivetrain technologies will be operated by the DSNY during a 9-12 month in-field evaluation program. The evaluation is sponsored in part by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The four hybrid technologies include:
- Mack TerraPro Low Entry model refuse truck—The first parallel hybrid-electric diesel truck in the USA designed specifically for Class 8 heavy-duty applications. It is equipped with a 325 hp MACK MP7 engine that meets the EPA 2010 emission standards using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. The diesel-electric powertrain features an integrated starter, alternator and electric motor. The system captures energy from braking, converts the energy to electricity, stores the electricity in lithium ion batteries, and uses it to power the electric motor, which assists the diesel engine with propulsion of the truck.
- Bosch Rexroth Hydrostatic Regenerative Braking (HRB)—The HRB parallel hydraulic system is installed onto a Crane Carrier Company LET2 truck, and will be integrated with a Heil Environmental refuse body. The Rexroth HRB system uses a hydraulic pump/motor connected to the driveline to capture kinetic energy during vehicle braking. When braking, the pump/motor acts as a pump, absorbs energy from the driveline and imparts a retarding force on the drive wheels, pumping hydraulic fluid into a nitrogen-pressurized accumulator. During acceleration, the pressurized gas pushes fluid out of the accumulator, and the pump/motor then acts as a hydraulic motor, assisting the diesel engine.
- ISE hybrid-electric system—Integrated into another refuse collection truck by the Crane Carrier Company, the ISE system utilizes a series hybrid electric drivetrain, contained in three separate modules: (1) the hybrid drive cabinet with ultracapacitor energy storage and overall system controls, (2) the engine driven generator assembly, and (3) the electric traction motor that replaces the conventional transmission in the vehicle.
- Kenworth T370 diesel-electric hybrid truck—The Kenworth T370 medium-duty hybrid truck is equipped with a stakebed body, PACCAR PX-6 engine rated at 240 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque, and the Eaton diesel-electric hybrid power system. Kenworth hybrids use an integral transmission-mounted motor/generator, frame-mounted 340 V lithium-ion battery pack, and dedicated power management system.
The vehicles will also be shown nationally next month at the upcoming Waste Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.