HYBRID TRUCK USERS FORUM SELECTS SUPPLIER FOR REFUSE TRUCK WORKING GROUP
Crane Carrier teams with ISE Corp and Bosch Rexroth to build hybrid trash trucks
to reduce fuel use by 30-50% for NY, Chicago and Houston

March 25, 2008
www.calstart.org

Pasadena , Calif. - The Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Refuse Working Group announced today that its members have elected to move forward with negotiations with the supplier team of Crane Carrier/ISE/Bosch Rexroth for validation and test of Class 7 & 8 heavy duty truck hydraulic and electric hybrid refuse vehicles. The hybrid trucks are expected to yield 30 percent to 50 percent reduction in fuel use with an accompanying reduction in emissions. This will be demonstrated in chassis dynamometer and field testing. The working group members looking to purchase hybrid refuse vehicles include the Department of Sanitation, City of New York ; Solid Waste Management Department, City of Houston; and the City of Chicago.

Crane Carrier Company, working in conjunction with ISE Corporation, proposed a series hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) using a self-contained hybrid drive assembly that can be easily mounted between the frame rails in most truck chassis replacing the conventional manual or automatic transmission assembly in the Crane Carrier LET2 chassis. The proposed HEV system uses components that have already been developed by ISE for the transit market in heavy 60 ft. articulated bus applications. The HEV will employ an onboard GPS and Remote Diagnostic unit providing the capability for real time monitoring vehicle performance and remote troubleshooting by maintenance personnel. The RDU conveys location, vehicle status and offers web based access. The HEV will use nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries or ultra-capacitor packs to store energy recovered from the numerous braking cycles experienced by these types of vehicles during their normal operation.

Crane Carrier and Bosch Rexroth Corporation, has proposed using Rexroth's Hydrostatic Regenerative Brake (HRB) parallel hydraulic hybrid system to power their LET2 chassis. The HRB system will be integrated with the Heil refuse body hydraulic system for weight savings and more efficient packaging. The HRB system uses a hydraulic pump/motor, connected to the driveline, to capture kinetic energy during vehicle braking. When braking, the pump/motor acts as a pump, absorbing energy from the driveline and imparting a retarding force on the drivewheels, and using the absorbed energy to pump hydraulic fluid into an nitrogen pressurized accumulator. During acceleration the pressurized gas pushes fluid out of the accumulator and the pump/motor now acts as a hydraulic motor, assisting the engine and reducing the fuel required to launch the vehicle.

About HTUF
HTUF's Refuse Truck Working Group is supported by the U.S. Army TARDEC's National Automotive Center (NAC). The national HTUF program is a joint program between WestStart-CALSTART and the NAC. HTUF works to speed the commercialization of hybrid drivelines that could be used in both military and commercial vehicles. The HTUF program benefits from the participation of over 50 fleets representing roughly one million trucks.

The HTUF Refuse Working Group is building on the success of the HTUF Utility Truck Working Group and its deployment of 24 International Truck/Eaton hybrid electric "bucket" trucks, which eventually led to the announcement by International of limited production of Class 6 hybrid electric trucks and the development of similar vehicles from Peterbilt, Kenworth, and Freightliner.

About WestStart-CALSTART
WestStart-CALSTART has been playing a national role as coordinator and facilitator of efforts to advance hybrid technology in the trucking industry. As with hybrid passenger cars, hybrid technology can significantly improve fuel economy and reduce harmful emissions from the nation's medium- and heavy-duty trucks. However, truck hybrids are potentially emerging as a U.S.-led technology: there are already more than 10 different leading U.S. manufacturers of heavy-duty hybrid propulsion systems.

WestStart-CALSTART is North America 's leading advanced transportation technologies organization. It is a participant-supported organization of more than 150 companies and agencies, working to support and accelerate the growth of companies developing clean and energy efficient transportation technologies. It is dedicated to expanding a high-tech transportation industry that cleans the air, creates jobs and improves energy efficiency to combat global warming and increase energy security. WestStart-CALSTART is playing a leading national role in deploying more efficient vehicles such as medium and heavy-duty hybrids, supporting fuel diversity and expanding new systems for transit and personal mobility. I ts California operating division does business as CALSTART. Visit www.weststart.org and www.htuf.org to learn more.