Kraft Foods Rolls Out “Green” Truck

March 5, 2009

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Kraft Foods Inc. has put into operation the first of its “green” truck fleet, touted as the first-of-its-kind diesel-electric hybrid delivery truck equipped with a RouteMax refrigerated truck body. This is part of the company’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and one more step forward in its transportation sustainability initiatives, said Mike Cole, director of Transportation, North America, at Kraft Foods.

Kraft Foods is also making strides in other corporate sustainability initiatives. For example, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has recognized an 800,000-square-foot Kraft Foods distribution center near Chicago for its advanced environmental design, and the company recently earned a DuPont Award for packaging innovation that improves the sustainability of products and processes.

Navistar delivered the DuraStar Hybrid truck to Krafts Food during the annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show in Chicago. The diesel-electric hybrid truck is a pilot unit and the first of its kind on the road, according to Navistar. Kraft Foods projects the truck will provide as much as a 30 percent fuel savings compared with a traditional diesel powered truck.

The International DuraStar Hybrid uses a mild parallel-type, diesel-electric hybrid architecture, developed by Eaton Corp, which is said to deliver less diesel fuel use and fewer emissions. The hybrid-electric system uses a regenerative braking system to recover energy normally lost during braking; stores the energy in batteries and adds power back into the driveline during starts and acceleration.

The hybrid truck also features RouteMax, a self-powered, extended-route cold plate refrigeration system offered exclusively through Navistar in cooperation with Johnson Truck Bodies. RouteMax saves as much as 1,400 gallons of fuel per year, compared with a traditional diesel-powered refrigerated blower unit.

Navistar also unveiled the International DuraStar Hybrid tractor last year at the Hybrid Truck Users Forum in Indiana. In addition, the company’s MaxxForce DT diesel engine together with the Eaton Hybrid Electric System is featured in Ryder System’s new RydeGreen Hybrid, a medium-duty straight truck line.

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