Hybrid Drive is suited for stop-and-start Class 8 vehicles.
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Press Release Summary:
Hydro-mechanical series reduces fuel consumption, emissions, and brake wear while increasing productivity in vehicles used in high start-and-stop applications, such as refuse trucks. It replaces conventional transmission with one that marries variable features of hydrostatic drive, suited for urban routes, with performance of mechanical drive, suited for highway speeds. Also, accumulated energy from vehicle's braking system is stored and used to power truck each time it accelerates.
Original Press Release:
Parker Hybrid System Reduces Fuel Consumption and Emissions for Class 8 Vehicles with High Start-and-Stop Duty Cycles
Company Continues to Refine Hydraulic Hybrid Drives For Refuse Vehicles
CLEVELAND, OHIO - March 5, 2009 - Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, continues to refine the company's new hybrid drive technology, which is an advanced hydro-mechanical series drive system designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption and increase productivity in vehicles with high start-and-stop applications.
Parker's hybrid drive system for refuse trucks replaces a vehicle's conventional transmission with a series hybrid drive system that marries the variable features of a hydrostatic drive, which is ideal for urban routes, with the efficient performance of a mechanical drive that performs best at highway speeds. Coupling this unique hybrid drive system with brake energy recovery technology provides the ideal solution for severe duty applications.
The main benefits of the Parker hybrid drive system are fuel savings, reduced emissions, and dramatically reduced brake wear. Refuse vehicles equipped with Parker's hydraulic hybrid drive system have achieved fuel savings of 30% to 50% during track testing and actual field trials of refuse collection cycles. Vehicles can utilize full engine power at any time, but the system's design optimizes efficiency by matching engine load with vehicle requirements. Reduced fuel consumption, a corresponding reduction in emissions, substantially reduced brake wear and improved off-the-line acceleration are all benefits of the Parker hybrid drive system.
Parker's hybrid drive system is built around the company's proprietary Power Drive Unit (PDU), designed specifically for high power, high start-and-stop applications. An onboard controller coordinates pumps, hydrostatic motors and accumulators to power the vehicle when in hydrostatic mode during start-and-stop operation while collecting refuse. Instead of solely using power from the diesel engine, accumulated energy from the vehicle's braking system is stored and used to power the truck each time it accelerates. As the truck reaches highway speed, the PDU transfers from hydrostatic drive to mechanical drive to maximize operational efficiency.
The application of Parker's hybrid drive system for refuse trucks is an excellent fit. Based on intelligence gathered from refuse companies, fleet owners, municipalities, and original equipment manufacturers, Parker identified the need for improvements in fuel efficiency, emissions, drivability, brake wear, and overall productivity. The new Parker hybrid drive system is tailored specifically to meet these demanding refuse industry needs.
Since the system's inaugural showing at the 2006 Waste Expo show in Las Vegas, Parker has continued to refine the hybrid drive's packaging, components, and control strategy to optimize system performance and reliability for refuse collection vehicles. The latest version, featuring an innovative, patent pending design for packaging mechanical, electric, and hydraulic components, will be unveiled at the WasteExpo 2009 Exhibits, June 9 - 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV.
Parker's disciplined, stage gate product development process integrates computer modeling, dynamometer testing, lab testing, and full vehicle on-road operation to validate system performance per customer criteria such as functionality, quality, reliability and added value.
While much of the development and validation of the hybrid drive system is performed within Parker's engineering offices and labs around the globe, there is no substitute for on-road vehicle evaluation. Currently, Parker is evaluating prototype vehicles through a variety of acceptance tests that replicate real-world operation. A state-of-the-art vehicle proving ground contains all road and driver conditions required to validate vehicle drive performance and durability. Trucks are operated 24/7 in a controlled environment with professional drivers, mechanics, and fleet managers evaluating fuel economy, acceleration, braking, responsiveness, road loads, vibration, gradability, and other conditions that are encountered in refuse collection service.
"Based on the feedback we've received to date, we are confident that Parker's advanced series hydraulic hybrid technology has real potential to significantly improve the fuel efficiency, productivity, and environmental footprint of refuse and similar heavy trucks across the globe," said Vance Zanardelli, Manager of Parker's Energy Recovery Business.
In addition to hybrid drive systems for refuse collection vehicles, Parker is also developing variations of the hybrid drive to meet the needs of other on- and off-highway applications. Parker is using the technologies developed for the refuse program as building blocks for configuring solutions tailored for other vehicle platforms with high start-stop duty cycles that also require significantly different torque and packaging solutions. Parker's broad array of motion and control technologies provides the flexibility required to configure and control these multiple application drive solutions.
For more information about Parker's Hydraulic Hybrid Drive System, visit www.parker.com or contact Tom DeCoster, Energy Recovery Business Development Manager, at either 662-890-5264 or tom.decoster@parker.com.
With annual sales exceeding $12 billion, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of commercial, mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs more than 61,000 people in 48 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 52 consecutive years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index.
For more information, visit the company's web site at www.parker.com, or its investor information site at www.phstock.com.
