American Electric Power has ordered its largest number of hybrid trucks to date - 18 International DuraStar Hybrid diesel trucks.
The addition brings the total number of hybrid utility trucks in AEP’s fleet to 22 - giving it the largest fleet of diesel hybrid utility trucks in the country, according to the company. Still, it represents a relatively small fraction of the 1,500 International trucks in its fleet.
The Hybrid Truck Users Forum estimates that 1,000-1,500 gallons of fuel can be saved per utility truck annually. At today’s high diesel prices, that equates to a savings of $4,000-$6,000 in fuel per truck annually. It also results in annual greenhouse gas reductions of 11 to 16.5 tons of carbon dioxide per unit. AEP expects to save $72,000-$108,000 in fuel costs and eliminate 200 to 300 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a one-year period with this order of 18 trucks.
New EPA standards and $100-a-barrel oil are creating demand for hybrid big rigs, garbage trucks and dump trucks, even with the 35 percent premium over conventional vehicles
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Comments
Are AEP’s new hybrid-diesel trucks equipped with diesel particulate filters? Although these vehicles will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, they will not reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions unless equipped with the filters. Exposure to diesel exhaust and diesel PM is a known occupational hazard to truckers. Long-term exposure can lead to serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
In fact, a recent study by the University of Connecticut compared hybrid diesel transit buses with conventional diesel buses to determine whether the hybrid buses were inherently cleaner than their non-hybrid counter parts. According to the study, researchers found “no decrease in particulate emissions from the hybrid buses compared with the conventional diesel buses.”
One way to eliminate such risks would be to employ Natural Gas trucks. LNG-powered trucks reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23%, Nox by 50%, and PM by 70%; all while lessening our reliance on diesel. Federal tax incentives and private funding significantly reduce start-up costs while the cost of using “diesel-anything” is absorbed by the environment and by the healthy lungs of truckers.
Clean_Burning April 28th, 2008