Thursday, May 3, 2007

Hybrid Trucks Are Here and More On The Way! By L. Winslow

Did you know that there are Hybrid Trucks just like Hybrid Cars? They are taking the Trucking Industry by storm and the dealers cannot get enough of them and there are even waiting lists from businesses who want them to save fuel and/or the PR value to show that they are environmentally with the program.

Kenworth now has a Hybrid Electric Class 6 Truck (Kenworth T-270) that operates in Hybrid mode below 30 miles per hour combining diesel and electricity and then it simply operates like a normal diesel truck once above 30 miles per hour. The system requires nothing from the driver it automatically switches as needed.

The best part about this truck is that the fuel economy efficiency savings is just over 30%. Saving 30% on your fuel bill makes the extra cost very much worth it for operators and this unit will be in full on production sometime in 2008 and this is a great leap forward.

Since the Hybrid Truck uses electricity in combination under 30 mph the more stop and go traffic the better mileage it gets; perfect for a deliver truck in the city. The battery is charged during braking using "regenerative braking" strategies and the electricity helps during acceleration and makes the performance also quite good.

It appears that the US Truck Manufacturers are not allowing the foreign Truck Makers to steal the show and that is because this Hybrid Truck Market is way too Hot! Indeed these Hybrid Trucks cost a little more, but with fuel prices on diesel so high they easily pay it back in fuel savings in a relatively short amount of time.

L. Winslow is a Transportation and Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=L._Winslow

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