Things Go Better In Hybrid
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12. 1.07
Coca-Cola Enterprises is purchasing 5 hybrid delivery trucks for use in New York City; By the end of next year, it will have 120 nationwide. Reportedly Pepsi is planning some deliveries based on the same vehicle design (heh heh).
... the shiny new red-and-white trucks will have 32 percent better fuel economy. And the hybrids' greenhouse-gas emissions will be 90 percent less than those from regular trucks, according to the manufacturer of the new vehicle.Coca-Cola's transition to hybrid trucks is part of a push by urban delivery companies to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions. As with the hybrid cars, demand for the green trucks is so strong that companies such as Coca-Cola are willing to pay a 35 to 40 percent premium over the cost of a normal delivery truck. Both FedEx and UPS are also building hybrid fleets in urban areas. In return, the companies cut their fuel consumption.
See previous coverage of the hybrid truck maker, Eaton Corp, here, and here and here.
Via::Christian Science Monitor, Image credit:CSM
32% better mileage and 90% reduction in greenhouse gases? How can that be? I thought burn a gallon of gas, put out 20 lbs of CO2. 32% better mileage should translate to a 32% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
What am I missing?
Of course this is an improvement, but there is nothing Coke, Pepsi, or any other junk food producer can do to come close to becoming green or healthy. That's one of a few reasons I gave up soda altogether recently.
Jon, maybe the existing trucks spew alot of NOx (N20 is a potent GHG, 300X worse than CO2) and the new ones don't. Otherwise, I agree, it doesn't add up.
The hybrid helps mostly during acceleration. It allows for a smaller engine. Most emissions increase disproportionally during acceleration. It's not that surprising that emissions go down more than fuel consumption. 90 % seems a tad high. Possibly there are other engine improvements that they are implementing.
They also save fuel by not idling. This is a big issue with delivery trucks, they idle as they unload. I heart environmental defense, who worked on this project.
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Thanks.
We apologize for not having credited ED where that was due. Their role was not reported in the original story looked at. Any one have any facts or links to refer our readers to about this?