Eaton Corp. announced a number of enhancements the company said will increase the fuel economy, performance and payback of its hybrid power system for commercial vehicles, including a new high-capacity battery, a single-phase 115-volt AC Auxiliary Power Generator (APG), a higher capacity clutch to expand applications up to 860 ft.-lb. of torque, and a new remanufactured battery for aftermarket purchase.
According to the company, the heart of the high-capacity lithium-ion battery is new technology that employs the latest battery cell architecture. The new design increases the fuel savings of Eaton’s hybrid power system an additional 5% to 10%, while also improving vehicle performance. In addition, the new battery more than doubles the engine-off capability of the system for jobsite operations and extends battery life.
“Not only will fleets realize greater fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions, but drivers will notice faster acceleration with the updated hybrid propulsion system,” said Kevin Beaty, product strategy and manufacturing operations and strategic sourcing manager, hybrid power systems, for Eaton. “The new battery is designed to allow for simplified servicing of internal components.”
Eaton stated it also is introducing a new single-phase 5-kilowatt auxiliary power generator this fall. The APG option converts high-voltage DC current from the battery to 115-volt AC current that can be used by any number of tools on the job site. The APG unit is more compact and 25 lbs. lighter than Eaton’s previous offering, which increases flexibility of installation.
“The new APG unit offers a soft-start function that can handle high inrush loads that require an immediate boost of power,” notes Gerard DeVito, engineering director – Eaton hybrid power systems. “The APG is also a fully isolated system from the high-voltage battery, which eliminates the need for a separate isolating transformer to further reduce cost and weight.”
Both the new high capacity battery and APG will be rolled out during the fourth quarter of this year to serve utility applications. The high capacity battery will be available for city delivery and beverage tractor applications in the third quarter of 2012.
Eaton also is now offering higher capacity clutches that can handle engines up to 860 ft.-lb. of torque and 300 HP. This increased torque capacity results in greater vehicle performance for heavier applications, including select tandem axle configurations.
Lastly, Eaton noted it will begin offering a remanufactured battery in July that will provide fleets with an aftermarket battery option at an affordable cost.
