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Dimitri Kazarinoff, VP of Eaton’s hybrid power systems division, says the company is looking to hybrid technology to green some of the largest users of fuel-utility vehicles. PHOTO: NATHAN PECK

By Nathan Peck | MiBiz
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GALESBURG — Being awakened by a rumbling trash truck may soon become a thing of the past if Dimitri Kazarinoff has anything to say about it.

Hybrid technology, once relegated to the small car market, is finding its way into the workhorses of the U.S. vehicle market: utility vehicles. While a big, lumbering trash truck doesn’t conjure up images of the green, small hybrids like so many Priuses, Kazarinoff, VP and general manager of the Hybrid Power Systems Division of Eaton Corp.’s vehicle group, said large utility vehicles are an area where significant strides can be made in terms of carbon footprint and efficiency. A decade ago, Eaton made a commitment to pursue hybrid technology — at the time an unproven technology in the heavy vehicle market. Since then, the company’s facilities in Kalamazoo, Marshall and Southfield have been at the forefront of the research.

“I credit our predecessors with the forethought to move into the hybrid area. They were able to see where the combination of battery technology had gotten to and was going, and the way the package delivery and other freight delivery industry was expanding,” Kazarinoff said. “Per vehicle, utility trucks burn considerably more fuel and emit more greenhouse gases — this is an area where we know we can have a significant impact.”

During a tour of Eaton’s Hybrid Village in its vehicle engineering center in Galesburg, Kazarinoff said that bringing hybrid technology to commercial vehicles brings a host of potential applications, from utility trucks with a hydraulic arm and bucket to lift gates for delivery vehicles. Eaton has had test hybrid electric vehicles in operation with some of the largest Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx, UPS and Coke. The hybrid technology in the delivery vehicles is similar to that in passenger vehicles: A regenerative braking system draws energy as the brakes are engaged to charge the battery, which can be used to propel the truck.

Kazarinoff is particularly excited about the possibility for Eaton’s hydraulic hybrid system. Like the electric hybrid systems, the truck’s brakes are used to power the system, but rather than converting the mechanical energy into electricity to charge batteries, the truck’s braking power is transferred to a high-pressure hydraulic accumulator that can be used to power trucks for the first quarter mile. The city of Ann Arbor recently incorporated four hybrid launch assist (HLA) trash trucks into its fleet.

Wyoming, Mich.-based Frederickson Supply LLC, a municipal equipment dealer, worked with the city of Ann Arbor on the purchase of the Labrie Truck Bodies, which put on a Peterbuilt chassis fitted with Eaton’s HLA product.

One upside of the HLA system is that in urban and suburban neighborhoods the trash truck can operate almost entirely on hydraulic power between stops, eliminating much of the unpleasant noise of screeching brakes and engine noise that wakes up homeowners on trash day. A more tangible effect of the HLA system is the reduced cost of maintenance since the brakes of traditional trash trucks are replaced twice annually at a cost of $2,000 per set. The hybrids’ brakes wear much slower as the braking energy is captured in the accelerator and reused.

“It is a much more efficient system than electric. More of the power is returned to the accumulator,” Kazarinoff said. “The advantage of the hydraulic accumulator is that it can accommodate a very intense start-stop cycle. You can capture much more of that braking power and return greater power to the launch.”

Eaton is looking to find innovative ways to power the auxiliary systems on many utility trucks. Coupled with technology such as the electric power take off (EPTO) system, in which engine power is used to store battery power to be used for hydraulic systems like a cherry picker basket, the fuel consumption can be reduced significantly. The hydraulic pump is powered by a battery, thus reducing the need for the truck’s engine to be running while on the job site.

“Anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of idle consumption is eliminated,” Kazarinoff explained. “A side benefit is that they are much quieter. In addition to the offset fuel consumption, batteries allow us to operate 5 to 6 hours on a worksite without operating the engine.”

The results bear out Eaton’s investments into hybrid technology. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently collected and analyzed fuel economy, maintenance and other vehicle performance data from UPS’s first generation hybrid diesel step delivery vans powered by an Eaton electric hybrid power system. The diesel hybrid delivery improved average fuel economy 37 percent, resulting in at least a 15 percent improvement in total cost per mile while maintaining similar reliability and operational performance as compared to conventional vehicles.

Companies such as FedEx, UPS, Coca-Cola Enterprises, PepsiCo and Wal-Mart are using delivery vehicles with Eaton hybrid systems. Eaton’s hybrid power systems are in service further afield as well — having entered service in the Beijing Transit and other city bus transit fleets.

Key to the continued development of the EPTO system will be continued advancement in the area of lithium ion batteries. Eaton’s Energy Solutions division is working with Compact Power, the U.S. subsidiary of LG Power, to develop the next generation of lithium ion batteries.

“The large-scale lithium ion plants don’t exist yet — they’re being built right now,” Kazarinoff said. “We are looking ahead to how we can develop modular systems with standard cells, and drive more standardization of components, which will drive volume and costs down.”

At the end of the day, the arguments for incorporating new technology into truck fleets are going to be economic.

“These systems come at not an insignificant premium. The value of the efficiency that these systems provide will continue to go up as new fuel economy regulations become more stringent,” Kazarinoff said. “From a financial perspective, the benchmark payback period depends on the application — it can be as little as 3-½ to 4 years. We are keeping a very close eye on the regulatory front and stay involved in the regulator implementation. We feel that carbon footprint and fuel efficiency (concerns) will help drive implementation of this technology.”

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• dimitri kazarinoff
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