Date: November 14, 2008
This news release was recently distributed by Waste Management.
Field Testing of Hydraulic-Diesel Hybrids in Fort Worth will Help Manufacturers Develop More Efficient Waste Trucks
FORT WORTH … Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI), North America’s largest waste management company, today announced it is field-testing the first prototype parallel hydraulic hybrid truck to be deployed in a waste collection vehicle. Four parallel hydraulic hybrid-diesel collection trucks have been incorporated into Waste Management’s fleet and are being tested in Fort Worth to study and optimize the hybrid system’s efficiency and reliability. This system is the first among many technologies Waste Management expects to test and implement over the coming years.
Hybrid vehicles hold great promise for the waste industry because collection vehicles have many cycles of braking and acceleration along a given route. The four Peterbilt 320 vehicles in Fort Worth use a Hydraulic Launch Assist™ (HLA® system) that was developed by Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN) to capture and store energy during braking, which not only improves efficiency but reduces wear on break pads. The stored energy is then transferred to accelerate the vehicle to the next pickup location, reducing fuel consumption and wear on the engine.
Though hybrid technologies have been successfully deployed in automobiles and light trucks, Class 8 vocational vehicles, a category that includes waste trucks, pose additional challenges to hybrid engine design. Among the largest vehicles on the road, Class 8 vehicles require a robust drive train that can handle heavy loads, and have multiple systems – for compaction and lifting – that draw power from the engine, complicating hybrid design.
“We are working closely with a number of manufacturers to develop and test both hydraulic and electric hybrid systems for our fleet vehicles,” said Eric Woods, vice president of Fleet and Logistics for Waste Management. “The challenge for our engineering team is to make our vehicles as efficient as possible while also ensuring they are tough enough to withstand wear and tear on the road. Though development is in early stages, we are optimistic that the investment we are making now will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases and ultimately benefit both manufacturers and users of heavy vocational vehicles.”
“As a local leader in sustainability, Fort Worth is proud to partner with Waste Management to test this cutting edge technology. If proven effective, it will help us improve our air quality, protect the environment and control cost for our residents. This is just another example of the city and its contractors working together to improve the quality of life for both current and future generations,” said Mike Moncrief, mayor of Fort Worth.
“Peterbilt is a leader in developing solutions that provide greater fuels savings and reduced emissions through superior aerodynamic designs and advanced hybrid technologies,” stated Bill Jackson, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. “We applaud Waste Management efforts to test and implement advanced hybrid technologies including the Peterbilt Model 320HLA and expect this will help Waste Management achieve its 2020 emissions and fuel savings goals.”
“We look forward to partnering with Waste Management as they take this important next step in field testing,” said Ruppert Russoniello, vice president and general manager, Eaton’s hydraulics business. “Waste collection vehicles present a huge opportunity for the environmental benefits created by Eaton’s hydraulic hybrid technology.”
Waste Management operates one the largest commercial fleets with annual fleet expenditures of up to $500 million, the company is in a unique position to spur innovation and efficiency. By creating demand for efficient vehicles, and supporting CAFE standards for heavy vehicles, Waste Management is encouraging technologies that will have broad benefits.
This project is part of Waste Management’s sustainability initiative announced last year. The company has a goal to increase the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 15 percent and reduce fleet emissions by 15 percent by 2020. Waste Management is also testing a number of measures to achieve this goal: in addition to working with truck and engine manufacturers to test hybrid systems, the company is continuing to make its routes and fleets more efficient. Waste Management has been a pioneer in the waste industry in the use of LNG and CNG as an alternative fuel for its fleet and evaluating a wide range of technologies that could create fuel for vehicles from landfill gas, such as liquefied natural gas and synthetic diesel.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information see www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com .
Field Testing of Hydraulic-Diesel Hybrids in Fort Worth will Help Manufacturers Develop More Efficient Waste Trucks
FORT WORTH … Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI), North America’s largest waste management company, today announced it is field-testing the first prototype parallel hydraulic hybrid truck to be deployed in a waste collection vehicle. Four parallel hydraulic hybrid-diesel collection trucks have been incorporated into Waste Management’s fleet and are being tested in Fort Worth to study and optimize the hybrid system’s efficiency and reliability. This system is the first among many technologies Waste Management expects to test and implement over the coming years.
Hybrid vehicles hold great promise for the waste industry because collection vehicles have many cycles of braking and acceleration along a given route. The four Peterbilt 320 vehicles in Fort Worth use a Hydraulic Launch Assist™ (HLA® system) that was developed by Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN) to capture and store energy during braking, which not only improves efficiency but reduces wear on break pads. The stored energy is then transferred to accelerate the vehicle to the next pickup location, reducing fuel consumption and wear on the engine.
Though hybrid technologies have been successfully deployed in automobiles and light trucks, Class 8 vocational vehicles, a category that includes waste trucks, pose additional challenges to hybrid engine design. Among the largest vehicles on the road, Class 8 vehicles require a robust drive train that can handle heavy loads, and have multiple systems – for compaction and lifting – that draw power from the engine, complicating hybrid design.
“We are working closely with a number of manufacturers to develop and test both hydraulic and electric hybrid systems for our fleet vehicles,” said Eric Woods, vice president of Fleet and Logistics for Waste Management. “The challenge for our engineering team is to make our vehicles as efficient as possible while also ensuring they are tough enough to withstand wear and tear on the road. Though development is in early stages, we are optimistic that the investment we are making now will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases and ultimately benefit both manufacturers and users of heavy vocational vehicles.”
“As a local leader in sustainability, Fort Worth is proud to partner with Waste Management to test this cutting edge technology. If proven effective, it will help us improve our air quality, protect the environment and control cost for our residents. This is just another example of the city and its contractors working together to improve the quality of life for both current and future generations,” said Mike Moncrief, mayor of Fort Worth.
“Peterbilt is a leader in developing solutions that provide greater fuels savings and reduced emissions through superior aerodynamic designs and advanced hybrid technologies,” stated Bill Jackson, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. “We applaud Waste Management efforts to test and implement advanced hybrid technologies including the Peterbilt Model 320HLA and expect this will help Waste Management achieve its 2020 emissions and fuel savings goals.”
“We look forward to partnering with Waste Management as they take this important next step in field testing,” said Ruppert Russoniello, vice president and general manager, Eaton’s hydraulics business. “Waste collection vehicles present a huge opportunity for the environmental benefits created by Eaton’s hydraulic hybrid technology.”
Waste Management operates one the largest commercial fleets with annual fleet expenditures of up to $500 million, the company is in a unique position to spur innovation and efficiency. By creating demand for efficient vehicles, and supporting CAFE standards for heavy vehicles, Waste Management is encouraging technologies that will have broad benefits.
This project is part of Waste Management’s sustainability initiative announced last year. The company has a goal to increase the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 15 percent and reduce fleet emissions by 15 percent by 2020. Waste Management is also testing a number of measures to achieve this goal: in addition to working with truck and engine manufacturers to test hybrid systems, the company is continuing to make its routes and fleets more efficient. Waste Management has been a pioneer in the waste industry in the use of LNG and CNG as an alternative fuel for its fleet and evaluating a wide range of technologies that could create fuel for vehicles from landfill gas, such as liquefied natural gas and synthetic diesel.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information see www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com .
Hilary Spittle
(216) 523-5352
(216) 523-5352