Parker Hannifin refuse trucks save Florida communities 43 percent on fuel costs

By Robert Schoenberger 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After a year in service, Parker Hannifin Corp. is calling its fleet of demonstration hydraulic hybrid garbage trucks in Florida a success. 

Used in Miami and other cities, the trucks have used 43 percent less diesel fuel than traditional trucks and have had almost no breakdowns.

"Having seen the results in these pioneering South Florida communities, many more municipalities and fleet operators have shown interest in purchasing vehicles featuring our RunWise technology," Parker hydraulics group president Jeff Cullman said in a written statement.

The Parker trucks are hydraulic hybrids. Gasoline-electric hybrids such as the Toyota Prius store energy in a large battery and use that electricity to power the vehicle at times, reducing the use of gasoline. 

The Parker system captures energy normally lost when the vehicles brake and stores that in compressed hydraulic fluid. When the driver hits the accelerator pedal, the system releases the compressed fluid, launching the vehicle from its stopped position. The diesel engine then moves the trucks at higher speeds. 

"The hybrid is faster, more dependable, experiences less noise in the cab and has not encountered any problems," Scotty Rodgers, an Miami truck operator, said in a written statement. "The truck moves very smoothly from stop to stop allowing me to get through my route more quickly."

In addition to hitting its fuel economy targets, the test trucks were in service 99 percent of the time during their first year, a reliability statistic that Parker plans to promote as it begins selling the hybrid systems nationwide.
Article From:  http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/parker_hannifin_refuse_trucks.html