UPS Delivering With Diesel-Electric

United Parcel Service will soon be testing a hybrid engine that’s not as powerful as a locomotive but has the essential characteristics of a train’s power plant.

The motive force of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle is similar in concept to the diesel-electric engines that are the mainstay of railroading. But the truck application differs in one respect: It uses batteries to “smooth out” the application of power.

UPS is attracted to the diesel-electric because of its promise of better fuel mileage, lower emissions and reduced maintenance.

By late summer, UPS plans a road trial of the hybrid, developed through a collaborative effort by a major engine manufacturer and a defense contractor.

Navistar International Transportaion Corp. and Lockheed Martin Control Systems designed the engine, which turns a generator to provide electrical energy for 23 batteries and the drive motor that propels the vehicle. It also features a process called regenerative braking, which uses the motor as a brake and channels most of the vehicle’s energy for storage in the batteries.

The configuration offers most of the benefits of an all-electric vehicle without the drawbacks, such as the need to recharge the batteries, said George Campbell, manager of business development for medium trucks at Navistar.

“An electric vehicle is limited in range,” he said. “It can go about 70 miles and then needs to be recharged. The HEV doesn’t have that problem. It runs on diesel fuel.”

For the full story, see the March 29 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.