UPS to use Hydraulic Hybrid vehicles

The hydraulic hybrid will allow the diesel engine to shut off when the truck is stopped or decelerating. During tests in Detroit, Michigan the EPA found that the trucks used 45 percent less fuel and reduced the carbon emissions by one third.

“There is no question that hydraulic hybrids, although little known to the public, are ready for prime time use on the streets of America,” said David Abney, UPS chief operating officer, in a news release. “We are not declaring hydraulic hybrids a panacea for our energy woes, but this technology certainly is as promising as anything we’ve seen to date.”

UPS ordered 7 trucks to use in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They currently have 90,000 vehicles in the company fleet and by next year 2,100 of those will be alternative-fuel vehicles. Trucks that run on electricity, compressed natural gas or other forms of energy will be used.