Smelly, unhygienic and definitely not green – that’s the typical perception of a waste disposal truck. However, the New York City Department of Sanitation may soon alter that viewpoint as it tests three different types of hybrid refuse collection trucks and a hybrid rack truck.
The trucks were unveiled as part of the Parks & Recreation Department’s 21st Annual Vehicle & Equipment Show in Flushing Meadows in Queens.
The vehicles include the Mack TerraPro Low Entry model, which is the first parallel hybrid electric diesel truck in the USA that has been designed for Class 8 heavy duty applications. It is also equipped with a 325hp Mack MP7 engine and uses a selective catalytic reduction exhaust after-treatment technology.
Another is the Crane Carrier Corporation Bosch Rexroth Hydrostatic Regenerative Braking (HRB) parallel hydraulic system. When braking the pump and motor act as a pump and absorb the energy from the driveline imparting a retarding force on the drivewheels and pumping hydraulic fluid into a nitrogen pressurised accumulator. This leads to fuel savings as high as 25 per cent.
The Crane Carrier ISE series hybrid-electric diesel rear-loading collection truck uses a 5.9 litre Cummins ISB engine and 120kW generator with two 150kW drive motors. Its energy storage is a 288 cell ultracapacitor system.
Finally, the Kenworth T370 diesel-electric hybrid is the first medium-duty hybrid truck to enter service. The company’s goal is to improve fuel economy by as much as 25 per cent.
