Truck manufacturer Peterbilt Motors Co. announced plans for full production of its Model 330 and Model 335 medium-duty hybrid vehicles during its press conference at the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show. The vehicles will be in full production at its manufacturing facility in Ste. Therese, Quebec, Canada in summer 2008.
Both the Peterbilt Model 330 and Model 335 Hybrid Electric vehicles feature the Eaton Hybrid Power system and provide customers with impressive fuel savings benefits. The Model 330 utilizes components that provide up to a 30% improvement in fuel economy in an urban driving cycle, while the Model 335 utilizes these same components to provide up to a 60% improvement in overall fuel efficiency when configured for utility applications.
Additionally, the Model 330 and Model 335 hybrids are eligible to receive tax credits from the U.S. Federal Government as certified by the Department of Treasurys Heavy Manufacturing and Transportation Group. The maximum $12,000 credit for Class 7 hybrids is available for the Model 335 Hybrid Electric in both utility-boom and pickup and delivery applications. A $6,000 credit, the maximum for Class 6 hybrids, is available for the Model 330 Class 6 Hybrid Electric.
"With higher fuel costs and growing concerns with the global carbon footprint, Peterbilt is at the forefront in the development of green technologies that help the environment by providing greater fuel savings and reducing emissions," said Bill Jackson, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. "Our medium-duty hybrid vehicles have been proven in testing across North America to demonstrate impressive fuel efficiency improvements."
Both trucks use a parallel hybrid system with an electric motor that assists the diesel engine with supplemental torque for improved fuel economy. The system stores energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking, and then reuses it to launch and accelerate the vehicle.
