Hybrid trucks designed for greener hauling

 It’s not just the small ones that are going hybrid, but the biggies too are adopting a greener way. Many Companies like Ford and Volvo are making sure that not just the cars but the trucks, too, become eco friendly. Better so, because after the world has become increasingly aware and sensitive to the carbon emission, and strict standards been laid for controlling the same, these hybrid trucks would prove to be nothing less called upon than a boon.

Rise in temperatures and fuel prices have stressed the need for having hybrid trucks. Such vehicles not only reduce CO2 emissions but also cause less noise pollution and give a relief to the remaining reserves of non renewable sources of energy such as oil. Our beloved mother Earth can only be saved with such kinds of initiatives. Given below are five such trucks that promise to be environment friendly.

1. Ford F-Series Plug-in hybrid truck

The F-Series Super Duty Truck uses a plug-in hybrid technology to power itself. Azure Dynamics and the Ford Motor Company have allianced together to come up with such trucks in 2013.

It has been a joint call of both these companies that Azure will provide the plug-in hybrid power train technology for both F-350 and F-550 trucks and would also be entitled to sell these trucks via the Ford’s dealership in North America. However, in the beginning, this technology would be limited to F-550 trucks.

According to Azure, as much as two-third of the plug-in hybrid technology will be used in the super duty trucks, whereas the balance will explicitly have to be powertrain.

2. Volvo FE Hybrid Truck

This hybrid truck from Volvo claims to reduce CO2 emissions by staggering 20 percent. Now, such vehicles are actually an important step towards a sustainable future. Not only so, the vehicle also promises to reduce the fuel consumption by as much as 30 percent.

The FE hybrid truck is powered by 600V lithium – ion batteries and a 120KW electric motor of 3 phases. Its seven litre diesel engine is used in case batteries get dried up, or when a driver accelerates the speed. These trucks from Volvo were expected to hit the European markets this June.

3. Canter eco hybrid light duty truck

The light duty truck running on the roads in Japan promises to be the finest examples of an environment friendly truck. It claims to release as much as forty one percent less nitrogen oxide and also reduces the fuel usage by twenty percent.

The Canter, claimed to be earth’s cleanest truck, has been built by Mitsubishi Fuso which happens to be an arm of the Daimler Chrysler’s Truck Group. This truck, too, similar to the Volvo’s FE hybrid has a diesel engine, lithium ion batteries and an electric motor.

4. Miller diesel-electric hybrid truck

This hybrid truck from Miller Industries uses Eaton’s diesel – electric system to power itself. Named as International DuraStar 4300, this flat bed truck has an excellent automated clutch. In order to maximize efficiency the clutch first feeds the electric motor and then the automated transmission.

However, at present the system is made available exclusively for the Daytona 500 track. And guess what? Miller plans to haul its hybrid container straight to the NASCAR races along with its fleet of already available race vehicles.

Everything has its pros and cons. This truck, too, has its downside. The DuraStar is meant mainly for NASCAR races and so has been designed accordingly. In case someone wants to use it for carrying garbage or something else, it might not prove to be that efficient.

5. Hino Dutro Hybrid Truck

This hybrid model from Toyota’s subsidiary, Hino, is a class apart. It is powered by a 100 KW diesel engine, 36VKw 350 Nm electric motor and 288V NiMH batteries. The Dutro consumes about 10 liters of fuel for every 100 km. Its four liter diesel engine generates 353 Nm of torque.