NEW DEVELOPMENTS
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Eaton is also developing a series hydraulic hybrid system in co-operation with the • USA's Environmental Protection Agency.
Fed-Ex has the system on trial and Eaton plans to launch it in 2013.
Again featuring regenerative braking, the proposed package employs a diesel • engine that can be shut off when not required, when the truck is decelerating far instance.
Similar to the way in which diesel-electric hybrids are fitted with electric motors and batteries, it also includes hydraulic pump/motors and hydraulic storage tanks that recover and store energy and replace the conventional transmission and driveline. They act like a continuously variable transmission, says Eaton with the engine operating at its fuel consumption sweet spot.
Energy is transmitted to the wheels through fluid power, and fuel economy improvements of between 50% and 70% are promised: an increasingly attractive proposition as fuel prices remain high.