Hybrid Technology

Hybrid technology combines a rechargeable energy source (i.e. a battery) with a combustible source (I.e. an engine). Hybrid technology is employed in vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks to cut fuel costs and to meet goals for emissions reductions. We explore the trends for hybrid technology including their implementation on a more wide scale basis, for example, in fleets, ships, and trains.

MIT-Staples Study Finds Electric Delivery Trucks Cost 9-12% Less to Operate

MIT-Staples Study Finds Electric Delivery Trucks Cost 9-12% Less to OperateElectric delivery trucks can cost between nine and 12 percent less to operate than their diesel cousins, according to an MIT study using data from ...

February 8, 2012

EL Pro Detroit Auto Show Briefing: Toyota, Honda, Acura, PG&E, BMW, Hyundai

Detroit Auto Show Briefing: Toyota, Honda, Acura, PG&E, BMW, HyundaiToyota has debuted the 2012 Prius c (pictured), which it says offers the highest city fuel efficiency of any vehicle without a plug, at ...

January 17, 2012

EL Pro Detroit Auto Show Briefing: VW, AMP, Ford, Kia, Coda, Nissan, Volvo

Detroit Auto Show Briefing: VW, AMP, Ford, Kia, Coda, Nissan, VolvoThis year's Detroit Auto Show is overflowing with hybrid and electric debuts. Here are some of the first big ones to emerge from the ...

January 10, 2012

Nissan Aims to Cut CO2 20%, Up Efficiency 35%

Nissan Aims to Cut CO2 20%, Up Efficiency 35%Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is aiming for a 20 percent per vehicle cut in its operational CO2 emissions by 2016, compared with 2005, under ...

October 24, 2011

Green Fleet Briefing: Ford’s Coconut Cars, Escape Hybrid Dropped, Volkswagen Wind

Green Fleet Briefing: Ford’s Coconut Cars, Escape Hybrid Dropped, Volkswagen WindFord and the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company are researching the use of coconut fiber reinforcement for molded plastic vehicle parts such as storage bins, door and ...

October 7, 2011

LED Lighting Sees Improvements with the Addition of Hybrid Capacitors

LED Lighting Sees Improvements with the Addition of Hybrid CapacitorsAn influx of devices containing light emitting diodes, or LEDs, provides a greater opportunity for efficient and long-lasting technology in the solid-state lighting ...

October 4, 2011

University of Michigan to Pump $14m Into Green Measures

University of Michigan to Pump $14m Into Green MeasuresThe University of Michigan (pictured) is to invest $14 million in green initiatives as it aims to meet a host of environmental goals by 2025. The green ...

September 28, 2011

Ryder Launches Commercial Alt Fuel Vehicle Lease Scheme

Ryder Launches Commercial Alt Fuel Vehicle Lease SchemeFleet vehicle provider Ryder System Inc. has announced the launch of its new “Flex-to-Green” program that gives customers the option of incorporating alternative fuel vehicles into ...

September 23, 2011

UPS Deploys 130 Hybrid Electric Trucks

UPS Deploys 130 Hybrid Electric TrucksUPS has announced the deployment of 130 hybrid electric vehicles for its fleet this year. Almost 100 of the vehicles have been deployed in California, with the ...

September 22, 2011

Report: Hybrid Truck Sales to Top 100k

Report: Hybrid Truck Sales to Top 100kSales of hybrid medium- and heavy-duty trucks are on course to top 100,000 annually by 2017, according to a report by Pike Research. “Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, ...

September 7, 2011

Green Fleet Briefing: McDonald’s, GM NatGas Cars, Hybrids Fall Short

Green Fleet Briefing: McDonald’s, GM NatGas Cars, Hybrids Fall ShortAutomakers aren’t yet delivering the full fuel savings and pollution reduction benefits possible from hybrids, according to an annual hybrid scorecard ...

July 12, 2011

Staples, Coke, GE Among Newest Clean Fleets Partners

Staples, Coke, GE Among Newest Clean Fleets PartnersCoca-Cola, Staples, Enterprise Holdings and three other companies, with nearly a million commercial vehicles between them, have joined the Obama administration’s National Clean ...

July 6, 2011

Renewables Briefing: L’Oréal, Snyder’s-Lance, Cape Wind

Renewables Briefing: L’Oréal, Snyder’s-Lance, Cape WindL'Oréal USA is partnering with GeoPeak Energy in a purchase power agreement (PPA) to install a 1.4 MW photovoltaic solar system at L'Oréal’s ...

June 24, 2011

Fleet Briefing: Ford, CNG Taxis, Coke, Renault-Nissan

Fleet Briefing: Ford, CNG Taxis, Coke, Renault-NissanRather than fight for a share of a possibly resurgent minivan market, Ford Motor Company has scrapped plans to launch a ...

June 23, 2011

Fed Fleet Goes Alternative; EPA Drops Vehicle Letter Grades

Fed Fleet Goes Alternative; EPA Drops Vehicle Letter GradesThe federal government has rolled out two major green fleet announcements, launching enhanced fuel economy labels just a day after announcing ...

May 25, 2011

U.S. Drive Expands Industry Partnerships for Next-Gen Auto Technologies

U.S. Drive Expands Industry Partnerships for Next-Gen Auto TechnologiesThe U.S. Department of Energy has expanded U.S. DRIVE (Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle Efficiency and Energy Sustainability), an industry partnership to advance ...

May 20, 2011

Fleet Briefing: GM to Open VE Plant; 60% Would Consider a PEV; New Steel Cuts Life-Cycle Emissions by 70%

Fleet Briefing: GM to Open VE Plant; 60% Would Consider a PEV; New Steel Cuts Life-Cycle Emissions by 70%General Motors broke ground Tuesday for the $269.5 million addition to the facility housing its two-mode hybrid and heavy duty transmission operations. The electric motor ...

May 20, 2011

Fleet Briefing: CNG at Airports, Nissan, Ryder

Fleet Briefing: CNG at Airports, Nissan, RyderClean Energy Fuels Corp. has signed long-term agreements with four major airport complexes to design, build, own and operate new compressed natural ...

May 6, 2011

Fleet Roundup: Chesapeake Energy, Heckmann, Canada Post, Surging Sales and More

Fleet Roundup: Chesapeake Energy, Heckmann, Canada Post, Surging Sales and MoreHere’s a round-up of the latest environmental fleet news. Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy Corporation, the nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas, last ...

April 6, 2011

Fleet Roundup: DHL, Ryder, Kia, Stagecoach, More

Fleet Roundup: DHL, Ryder, Kia, Stagecoach, MoreHere’s a round-up of the latest environmental fleet news. DHL is introducing 30 electric vans and 50 hybrid trucks to its Manhattan fleet in ...

April 1, 2011