More News from Green Truck Summit: Hybrid Truck Momentum Building
3/9/2010 10:00:00 PM
St Louis, MO - Despite the national recession, momentum in the medium- and heavy-duty hybrid truck and bus market continues to grow and expand in product type, according to a panel of experts speaking at the CALSTART-NTEA Green Truck Summit in St. Louis. ...
St Louis, MO - Despite the national recession, momentum in the medium- and heavy-duty hybrid truck and bus market continues to grow and expand in product type, according to a panel of experts speaking at the CALSTART-NTEA Green Truck Summit in St. Louis. Dimitri Kazarinoff, VP and General Manager of Eaton Hybrid Power Systems, said that last year his company increased their system sales by five times over the previous year and now have hybrid systems operating on four continents with 35 million miles of experience. The panel noted that hybrid system costs are dropping, but that early market incentives were still critically important to maintain momentum while production volumes are still low. Darren Gosbee, Director of Hybrid Strategy and Execution for Navistar (International Trucks), said he felt incentives for hybrids were very important through about 2014, but that the industry can stand on its own by then without incentives. Ed Greif, VP Engineering for Bosch Rexroth, noted that hydraulic hybrids are now moving to market, and that refuse applications were a very promising first application but that other applications, like parcel delivery, also so great promise. Panelists shared the idea that there will be no single technology "winner" in hybrids but we will need a range of approches. They also noted growing interest in hybrids for shuttle bus and regional heavy-haul applications, and the growth of next generation capabilities, including electrified components, reduction in energy storage costs, plug-in and all-electric vehicles.