While there is more news than we can possibly cover, there were a number of intriguing stories covered by The New York Times recently that deserve mention. Included was an article about hybrid garbage trucks. In New York City, a number of trucks have been retrofitted with hybrid drivetrains. Because these vehicles start and stop so frequently, hybrid systems that generate electricity for the battery make sense. Every time these trucks brake, they charge the battery, which assists the diesel powered engine. In the Mack Truck (one of four types of hybrids in the fleet) , “the electric motor cannot drive the truck by itself — its job is to lower the demand on the diesel engine, which improves fuel economy.”

The New York Sanitation Department is testing four different hybrid systems shown in the chart below:

The New York Times reports

The Mack is a parallel hybrid design in which the electric motor and diesel engine can work together. Crane Carrier built two parallel hybrid trucks; they store energy as a hydraulic fluid under pressure rather than as electricity sent to a battery. One has a diesel engine; the other’s engine uses compressed natural gas as its fuel.

The fourth truck design, also made by Crane Carrier, uses a series hybrid system in which a diesel engine drives only a generator, with no mechanical connection to the wheels. All drive power is provided by an electric motor.

Currently the hybrid trash collectors cost more than twice as much as their diesel counterparts ($500,000 vs. $225,000). However, The Times states that New York City’s Sanitation Department plans to buy 300 trucks annually starting as soon as next year. The city’s current fleet consists of roughly 2,200 trash collectors. Large orders could help drive down prices by increasing the market for these vehicles.”While costs remain high, the economies of scale that would come with large orders, coupled with government rebates and incentives, could help persuade profit-driven trash haulers, utilities and bus companies to buy hybrids.”

While the market may be small and initial expenses high, the purported 30% reduction in fuel costs and emissions come at a time when companies, organizations, and governments  are looking for long term savings. In addition, with news that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has concluded greenhouse gases “threatens the public health and the environment,” the reduction in tailpipe emissions will add another benefit to these behemoths.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: New York Times]