Congressman Fred Upton Reviews Next Generation Fuel Saving Hydraulic Hybrid Drive Systems
GALESBURG, Mich. - Congressman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) visited the Galesburg headquarters today of diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation's Vehicle Group to review the progress of the company's advanced digital hydraulic hybrid drive system that is being applied to U.S. Military vehicles to provide improved fuel economy.
"This next generation of hybrid drive system will provide significant advantages over what the U.S. Military is using today, and it will enable them to carry more armored protection and soldiers while providing better fuel economy," said Tom Stover, chief technology officer - Eaton's Vehicle Group. "Congressman Upton has provided key support to this program that is allowing us to integrate hydraulic, electronic and mechanical power into a sophisticated and practical hybrid power solution."
Development work on the next generation of hydraulic hybrid drive system is being conducted by scientists and engineers here in Galesburg, at Eaton's Innovation Center in Southfield, Mich., and in cooperation with Western Michigan University's Center for Advanced Vehicle Design Simulation (CAVIDS) in Kalamazoo, Mich. Also actively involved in the project is Eaton's hydraulics division located in Eden Prairie, Minn.
"Eaton is a powerful example of how western Michigan can help transform the U.S. Army's fleet of tactical vehicles," said Upton. "Using knowledge and experience gained as a major component supplier to automotive and truck manufacturers, they are leading the way toward providing the military with safer and more efficient vehicles that also offer improved overall performance."
Eaton's Vehicle Group is a global technology leader that supplies the light, medium, heavy duty and off-highway vehicle industries with innovative solutions and systems that help our customers to create vehicles that run cleaner, more efficiently and overall perform better. We have operations on five continents that are organized to provide our customers with localized manufacturing and engineering services and support.
Eaton offers the world's most complete line-up of hybrid systems for commercial vehicle applications. Eaton hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and two hybrid hydraulic power systems, parallel and series, are available or in development on truck models including International, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Iveco, DAF, Daimler, and Ford and on bus models from Foton, Zhongtong, Yutong, JNP, King Long, Shen Long, Heng Tong, BCI and Solaris. Eaton hybrid power systems have accumulated more than 30 million miles of road-tested service around the world.
Companies such as FedEx, UPS, Coca-Cola Enterprises, PepsiCo and Wal-Mart are using delivery vehicles with the Eaton system. Work trucks with Eaton hybrid power are also in service at Florida Power and Light and many utility and telecom companies across North America. Benefits of the existing Eaton hybrid systems include fuel savings up to 35 percent, with similar percentages in emission reductions, extended brake life and idle time reductions of up to 87 percent during work site operations.
Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2009 sales of $11.9 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 70,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
Jim Parks
(248) 226-7191
