Peterbilt takes medium-duty hybrids on demo tour as a customer takes delivery
Last month I was present as Peterbilt Motors Co. announced that is taking its new medium-duty trucks directly from the production line onto the road. The new Peterbilt Model 330 and 335 Hybrid Electric vehicles are headed out on demonstration tours. Existing and prospective customers in the U.S. and Canada will be able to test drive and evaluate these new trucks for applications such as utility, pickup and delivery, and dump trucks.
During the event, Bill Jackson, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president, talked about the tour as an opportunity for fleets to experience the performance and ease of operation of the new hybrid medium-duty vehicles. He said these vehicles provide dramatic fuel savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the advanced hybrid technology. He also pointed out that, in addition to fuel savings, many fleets qualify for $6,000 to $12,000 in incentives, depending on the fleet application.
The Class 6 Model 330 Hybrid Electric has the integration of the Eaton Hybrid Drive System and the 260-HP PACCAR PX-6 engine that delivers up to 860 ft.-lbs. of torque. It was pointed out that this truck, in an urban driving cycle, can achieve fuel economy in excess of 30 percent.
I had a chance to ride in the the Class 7 Model 335 Hybrid Electric, which has components that provide up to a 50 percent improvement in fuel efficiency when configured for a utility application. This increase comes from both an on-road fuel economy gain and an 80 percent reduction in engine idling through electric operation of the power take-off (PTO) using the on-board lithium-ion batteries.
During the same event, Peterbilt delivered its first production medium-duty hybrid electric vehicles to VinLux Fine Wine Transport. The first two Peterbilt Hybrid Model 335 production vehicles will be used for delivery routes in urban locales like San Francisco. VinLux Fine Wine Transport delivers premium and luxury wines to over 9,000 accounts throughout California, transporting 700 orders per day. Fuel economy and reduction of emissions are an important aspect of these trucks for this fleet.
According to Fred Biagi, owner, VinLux Fine Wine Transport, “By adding hybrid vehicles to our fleet, we expect our investment will be returned in as little as two years, based on the rapidly escalating price of fuel.”
Tom Tunt, president of VinLux Fine Wine Transport, added, “Peterbilt’s Hybrid technologies will be an important component of our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint while still meeting the delivery needs of our California customers.”
The Class 7 Peterbilt Hybrid Electric Model 335 uses Eaton’s Hybrid Electric Power System with an electric motor that assists the PACCAR PX-6 engine with supplemental torque for improved fuel economy. The system stores energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking, and then reuses it for acceleration. Fuel use, emissions and noise are greatly reduced, the company was proud to report.
