EPA’s Hydraulic Hybrid Truck Project

Situation Before: The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA has traditionally fulfilled this mission by writing regulations and doing its own research. Recognizing the need to move rapidly in pushing EPA patented technology to the marketplace, Congress established Cooperative Research and Development Agreements to facilitate technology transfer of patented inventions from national laboratories to industry and the marketplace.

Action: Using a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, the EPA, the United Parcel Service, Eaton Corporation, International Truck and Engine, and the U.S. Army announced that they would build and test the world's first two full hydraulic hybrid urban delivery vehicles.   The vehicle features a full hydraulic hybrid powertrain and a unique hydraulic hybrid propulsion system integrated with the drive axle. Hydraulic motors and hydraulic tanks are used to store energy, in contrast to electric motors and batteries used in electric hybrid vehicles. Like other hybrid systems, energy saved when applying the brakes is reused to help accelerate the vehicle.

Results: Laboratory tests show that this hybrid hydraulic technology has the potential to dramatically improve the fuel economy for package delivery vehicles, shuttle and transit buses, and refuse pickup. In urban driving, the new technology increases fuel efficiency by 60 to 70 percent in urban driving, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up 40 percent. More than 1,000 gallons of fuel each year could be saved per vehicle. EPA estimates that upfront costs for the hybrid components could be recouped in fewer than three years for a typical delivery vehicle. The net savings over the vehicle's lifespan could exceed $50,000, assuming current fuel prices.