Hybrid Snow Plow

Jefferson County, Denver, has just introduced their new hybrid snow plow, an all new application for hybrid engines. The hybrid snow plow is a modified 2009 International Model 7300 Hybrid truck they purchased for $162,240.

Jefferson County Unveils First-Ever Hybrid Snow Plow - Denver Traffic News Story - KMGH Denver

The hybrid truck cost about $20,000 more than a non-hybrid model. Jefferson County estimates that the difference will be recouped after 90,000 miles. Jefferson County will use this winter to evaluate the performance of the truck before deciding to add more to its fleet. The County already has 11 other hybrid vehicles.

If the cost difference can be made up in just 90,000 miles, that's fantastic. Other hybrid vehicles (buses come to mind), have had initial problems with adopting the technology. So, I'll be happy to see what happens in the future with this.

It's amazing what a difference going from 5 mpg to 8-10 mpg can make. That's why buses, dump trucks and other municipal vehicles are always touted when they make the switch to hybrid engines over gas or just diesel engines. The problem is always initial cost, however.

Hybrid buses cost a lot more than their diesel only counterparts, making it very hard to make up the cost difference. But at a premium of just $20K, Jefferson County may have just made a big leap forward for hybrid vehicles.

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Hybrid Bus Accelerates Too Quickly for Some

Some MTA passengers are getting injured (or at least claims for injuries are up) when hybrid buses accelerate too quickly.

It seems the buses 'jerk' forward because they accelerate too quickly. "The hybrids work like an electric golf cart, where stepping on the gas after a complete stop can cause them to lurch into action." (Source: MTA rolls out fix to "jerky" hybrid buses - am New York).

Claims were up by 13% from July 2008 to July 2009.

The transit has worked on a fix that will 'smooth out' the acceleration curve, keeping passengers from falling over when the bus starts up.

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Stimulus Funds for Diesel-Electric Hybrid Buses

Chicago and Albany will soon be getting hybrid buses, courtesy of the Stimulus package.

Chicago is receiving another $3.5 million in funds to help purchase 20 diesel hybrid buses. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) in Albany, N.Y. had already received $2 million back in May. The overall cost is expected to reach $10.6 million.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) received and have already placed in service 58 hybrid buses. That brings their total up to 208 'articulated hybrid buses' in their fleet. $50 million (out of a total of $241 million in stimulus money) was used to buy the buses.

The CTA expects to save over $7 million in parts, labor and fuel from their hybrid buses.

According to the press release, the 60 foot buses can transport 125 riders and are 30 percent more fuel efficient and emit 60 percent fewer emissions. They are also replacing smaller buses, which could only transport 80 riders.

The buses can be plugged in overnight to keep the batteries charged. The batteries also keep the auxiliary heater running, eliminating the need to idle buses for startup.

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Hybrid Dinghy Pusher for RV

Alrighty then. File this one under interesting but strange. A father and son (a former faculty member and researcher and UA associate professor, respectively) teamed together to develop a hybrid dinghy pusher for their RVs.

It seems the cost of gasoline has been pushing them to reduce the amount of time they spend on family trips, so they set out to hybridize their RV. But hybrid engines for vehicles the size of RVs are expensive (just ask your local bus companies how expensive). So, they decided to use a hybrid SUV to push the RV uphill instead, thus the hybrid dinghy pusher (HDP) was born.

The modified hybrid SUV is attached to the back of the RV. When the vehicles travel downhill, the hybrid motor charges the battery pack in the SUV. When the tandem RV and hybrid SUV travel uphill, the SUV will help push the RV using the electric motor. It will not engage the gas engine at all. The stored energy can also be used to accelerate quickly or just in driving down the street.

And once you get to your destination, you have the hybrid SUV to drive around in. Other advantages of implementing such a system are improved gas mileage, reduced rate of wear on brake components, and improved mobility for users of RVs and the dinghy.

Source: New Hybrid Vehicle Concept For RV Travelers Developed

Working with UA’s Office for Technology Transfer, the Shepards are currently in the process of securing a development partner to bring this cutting-edge technology to the market. The team has filed a U.S. provisional patent.

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Hybrid Truck Research Bill

The house has passed a bill to create a grant program targeted at heavy duty hybrid trucks. The Senate has introduced a companion bill.

"Hopefully we can get some movement on this measure this time around," said Paul Tonko , D-N.Y. "By enhancing the Department of Energy’s research program in heavy duty hybrid trucks, this bill draws much-needed focus to a very critical component of the transportation sector — that being commercial trucks."

Source: CQ Politics | House Passes Bill to Encourage Hybrid Trucks

$3 million a year would be set aside for the research program. The first phase would allow one year for the recipients to produce an advanced heavy-duty hybrid vehicle, while the second/third year would be used to produce 50 trucks.

The heavy duty hybrids would have a gross weight of 14,000 - 33,000 pounds.

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Fed Handing Out Grants for Hybrids

Seattle received $1.4 million in federal grant money to purchase 15 diesel electric hybrid trucks.  The money will also go towards equipping city-owned properties with electric charging stations.  $500,000 of the grant will go towards the electric charging station, with the rest being used to pay for the trucks.

It's estimated the diesel hybrids will save more than 10,000 gallons of fuel annually.

The Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) is line to get $20 million in federal grant money, which will be used to install 2,550 charging systems for electric vehicles.


Maryland will be buying 150 hybrid vehicles with $5.9 million in federal stimulus money.  The hybrids will be used by private companies.  Aramark, Efficiency Enterprises, Nestle Waters of North America, Sysco Corp. and UPS who are all part of the Maryland Hybrid Truck Good Movement Initiative.  The new fleets will cost $14.7 million, so the companies are paying almost two-thirds of the cost.

Aramark alone is expecting to purchase 50 hybrid vehicles.

The hybrids are estimated at reducing fuel consumption by 460,000 gallons a year.

The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition will use $12.9 million in federal stimulus funds to purchase hybrid electric school buses.  The money is coming through the Dept of Energy, which estimates the new buses will save 122,000 gallons of petroleum a year.

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Daimler Hybrid Diesel Bus Orders Reach 2,500

Daimler AG received an order for almost 300 diesel-electric hybrid buses. The first 93 Orion VII buses are expected to ship in mid-2010 to Seattle. Another 80 hybrid diesel-electric buses were ordered by Ottawa. One hybrid bus is also being sent to Roosevelt Island, N.Y.

That will make the total number of diesel hybrid buses from Daimler at more than 2,500 units in service.

"Daimler remains committed to promoting clean drive technologies, which will shape future transportation," says Andreas Strecker, CEO of Daimler Buses North America.

A contract was also awarded for five natural gas-powered Orion VII CNG transit buses, which will be delivered to CART (Cleveland Area Rapid Transit).

Hopefully, Daimler has cleared up all the issues they've had in the past. Toronto was not happy with the hybrid buses they received. But, hybrid buses, if they run well, can be a boon. Improvements in fuel economy and lower maintenance costs can make the higher up front costs seem more palatable.

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Mack Hybrids on Capitol Hill

The Mack TerraPro Cabover was displayed on Capitol HIll as part of the "Hybrid on the Hill Day" organized by the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) of CALSTART. The diesel-electric hybrid truck promises 30% fuel economy improvement in the stop-and-go environment of refuse collection.

The parallel hybrid engine is designed for Class 8 heavy-duty applications and meets the EPA'10 emission regulations.

"Our hybrid technology will be commercially viable, yet it will take time to establish a robust hybrid market for heavy vehicles that will enable us to invest in large scale production," said Dennis Slagle, Mack president and CEO. "Incentives will accelerate the adoption of Class 8 hybrids and bring forward the positive environmental changes."

Until the economies of scale are met, howver, the hybrid technology is only available right now at a 'very high premium' compared to non-hybrids. It won't be until the production volumes increase substantially, that the savings from fuel and reduced maintenance will allow for the technology to 'pay for itself.'

In the meantime Tom Kelly, Mack senior vice president, wants government to make up the difference to encourage the market to transition.

"Government incentives are necessary to establish a market for these vehicles with environmental benefits, similar to the incentives offered for hybrid passenger vehicles," said Kelly. "The public benefit of these incentives will be reduced environmental impact as hybrid heavy-duty trucks become more common."

In order to meet those goals, Kelly would like Congress to continue their efforts to encourage hybrid vehicles.

"For example, we’d like to see Congress extend the federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which expires at the end of 2009," Kelly said.

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