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ArticlesUS Hybrid’s Plug-In Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor to be Tested at Port of Long Beach Shipping Terminal12-Month Project to Document Performance in U.S. Ports August 10, 2009 A plug-in hybrid electric “terminal tractor” used to move shipping containers and cargo within the port will be tested at a Port of Long Beach shipping terminal. If this heavy-duty application of hybrid electric technology proves successful at Long Beach and other ports then it could replace diesel-powered tractors on a wide scale, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and improving energy efficiency of port operations. The Electric Power Research Institute is coordinating the project among several ports and will also compile and analyze project data related to the tractor’s performance, including emissions, charging, diesel fuel reduction and other aspects. The equipment will be tested at SSA Container Terminal on Pier A at the Port of Long Beach for 3 months. US Hybrid Corporation converted the diesel powered vehicle, which is similar in appearance to a tractor cab, into a hybrid which has the ability to be refueled from the electric grid. As a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) the tractor will be able to move containers weighing up to 95,000 pounds as its diesel counterparts can, but unlike diesels will not idle its engine when inactive. Over a year of full-time operation it is expected that the PHEV tractor would use 3,000 gallons of fuel per year less than a similar diesel and significantly reduce emissions. “Terminal tractors are the most prevalent piece of equipment at container ports and they typically idle 50 percent to 80 percent of the time they’re in use,” said Andra Rogers, senior project manager of Electric Transportation at EPRI. “It’s feasible that by converting their tractor fleets ports could reduce emissions from this source by 80 percent for nitrogen oxides, 50 percent for carbon dioxide and significant amounts of other criteria pollutants. These vehicles can make a big impact on lowering a port’s overall emissions.” “One of the central directives in our Green Port Policy is the adoption of new, environmentally friendly technologies,” said Heather Tomley, Port of Long Beach Assistant Director of Environmental Planning. “We encourage private industry to develop, test and evaluate technologies such as this hybrid-electric terminal tractor.” Currently there are approximately 754 diesel tractors at the Port of Long Beach. The three-month Port of Long Beach demonstration project is part of a one-year demonstration, during which the tractor will also be tested and evaluated at ports in Savannah, Ga., Mobile, Ala., Houston, and New York City. EPRI will document the tractor’s performance and operation including electric grid system impact, vehicle system efficiency, emissions, costs and vehicle performance. EPRI also will evaluate performance and benefits relative to conventional diesel vehicles. The research is part of a broader program EPRI conducts on “non-road” electric applications for transportation, which includes forklifts, airport vehicles and power supply options for ships at dock, airliners at the gate and trucks at truck stops. SOURCE: greentechmedia
Port of Long Beach to test Kalmar hybrid terminal tractorsApril 22, 2009 Cargotec’s Kalmar business area has been awarded a contract to supply three new hybrid terminal tractors for technology trials being carried out by the Port of Long Beach, CA, USA. The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach are well-known as leaders in environmentally friendly, sustainable port operations. The three hybrid terminal tractors will be based on Kalmar’s well established Ottawa 4 X 2 terminal tractor, already proven in use at terminals across the world. They will be fitted with a Parallel Hybrid Drive system which converts power from on-board batteries, having been charged by the OEM Diesel engine or regenerative braking system, to an electric motor for propulsion through the rear axle. This technology is being developed by Kalmar’s development partner in Hybrid technology, US Hybrid in Torrance California. Jay Hayes, Vice President, Research and Development, Kalmar terminal tractors at Cargotec said: “We will start getting results as soon as the tests commence and will come to our final conclusions during and after the testing.”
ArvinMeritor delivers hybrid diesel-electric class 8 truck to key partnerFebruary 3, 2009 ArvinMeritor Delivers Hybrid Diesel-Electric Class 8 Truck to Key Partner TROY, Mich., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- ArvinMeritor Inc. (NYSE: ARM) announced today that the company presented Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, Ark., with a prototype heavy-duty truck equipped with the first Meritor(R) diesel-electric drivetrain. Wal-Mart Transportation operates nearly 7,200 heavy-duty trucks in North America and has committed to doubling its fleet efficiency by 2015. Wal-Mart will test and evaluate the vehicle in regular linehaul service at one of its distribution centers throughout 2009. "While most hybrid systems today are best suited for start-stop applications, our hybrid drivetrain is specifically designed for linehaul, over-the-road trucks, the largest segment of the commercial vehicle population," said Carsten J. Reinhardt, president of ArvinMeritor's Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) business. The Meritor dual-mode hybrid drivetrain combines both mechanical and electrical propulsion systems. Under 48 miles-per-hour, vehicle propulsion is delivered entirely through an electric motor with power from lithium ion batteries. These batteries are recharged through regenerative braking and/or an engine-driven generator. As the vehicle approaches highway speed, the drivetrain phases to a diesel-powered system with the electric motor providing power, only as required, allowing for total system optimization. The key differentiation of this system is its ability for zero-emission mode over a wide range of vehicle driving conditions. This allows the truck to operate in places where emissions are restricted, like a port or urban area. Additionally, the batteries provide continuous power for hotel loads during an overnight rest period, eliminating the need for engine idling or other redundant anti-idling systems. Electrification of accessories such as the air or AC compressors provides further efficiency benefits. The Meritor hybrid drivetrain was developed in collaboration with Navistar and Cummins and is comprised of a proprietary motor/generator unit, high capacity lithium ion batteries, as well as the overall power-management system. Also outfitted on the Walmart tractor are a Meritor tandem drive axle, and an advanced MeritorWABCO anti-lock braking system with integrated stability control and driver assistance systems. The majority of commercial trucks on the road today are Class 8 vehicles - more than 2.7 million in the United States alone. These trucks log roughly 130 billion miles and consume nearly 53 billion gallons of fuel each year. Collectively, truck fleets spent about $111 billion on diesel fuel in 2007 when the average national retail price was $2.68 a gallon. About ArvinMeritor SOURCE: ArvinMeritor, Inc. US Hybrid announces the acquisition of the Motor Division of Satcom TechnologiesOctober 2, 2008 US Hybrid Corporation, a leading provider of integrated power conversion components for electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, announced today the purchase of the motor division form Satcon Technology Corporation (NASDAQ: SATC). The new company, Magmotor Technologies Inc. (www.magmotor.com) located in West Boylston, MA is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Hybrid Corporation. Magmotor Technologies Inc. offers a broad range of brush and brushless servomotors, and custom designed motors that serve equipment manufacturers in several high-tech markets. Magmotor Technologies Inc. will strengthen US Hybrids’ capability to bring a complete line of components to medium and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers. “US Hybrid is now capable of providing cost-effective electromechanical motion and control solutions for both OEM and first tier suppliers,” said Guy Rini, EVP Commercial Vehicle Systems. Magmotor Technologies will continue to serve equipment manufacturers while expanding its presence in the medium and heavy-duty markets. The expansion into mobile markets helps accelerate the commercialization of alternative drives solutions through shared technology and economy of scale that benefit all market segments. Abas Goodarzi, President and CEO noted, “US Hybrid can provide integrated solutions in support of EV and HEV for medium and heavy duty markets”. About US Hybrid Corporation US Hybrid is ISO 9001:2000 certifiedFebruary 1, 2008 US Hybrid Corporation a leading provider of integrated power conversion and drive system solutions for clean mobility and energy conservation system - proudly announced today ISO9001:2000 certification for quality management systems (QMS). The scope of registration is "Design, Prototyping, Manufacture and Service Support of electric and hybrid Drive Systems and renewable energy. During the past years, US Hybrid has been developing and implementing formal processes and inspection criteria for its production, prototype and service activities. By adopting the requirements within the standard, US Hybrid has been able to improve the quality and reliability of its products. Five new major CALSTART fuel cell bus projects in California now underwayJanuary 30, 2008 CALSTART, the California operating division of WestStart, a North American advanced transportation technologies consortium, has secured and launched contracts for five major fuel cell bus technology development projects in California with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The projects represent an important component of CALSTART’s overall hydrogen pathways strategy. The newest $24-million effort involves multiple fuel cell and drive system leaders, three transit districts and three major bus makers and is focused on speeding key improvements in fuel cell reliability, system design and component design. The FTA is providing $12-million in funding; the private companies involved are providing the balance.
The five projects include:
The Integrated Auxiliary Module (IAM) project will develop and demonstrate a single, low-cost, compact unit housing the 200 amp, 24V DC-DC converter and dual 10 hp (7.5 kW) motor drives with CAN interface for auxiliary power needs aboard a fuel cell or hybrid fuel cell bus. These projects are integral parts of our multi-path roadmap to more quickly improve hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and move them to the market. They support our overall suite of fuel cell and hydrogen efforts, including separate projects with a high-lifetime fuel cell system. Given California’s first-mover need for cleaner, lower carbon transportation, the state is the ideal epicenter for these efforts. —John Boesel, President and CEO of WestStart-CALSTART US Hybrid licenses the patented PEGOS parallel hybrid from Southwest Research InstituteOctober 11, 2007 US Hybrid Corporation announces today that it has received a license to use and commercialize the Southwest Research Institute “SWRI” patented PEGOS parallel hybrid drive system. The PWGOS system offers unique parallel hybrid system solution utilizing planetary system and is capable to operate in parallel, series or pure engine modes. US Hybrid is commercializing the patented hybrid system technology for use in commercial delivery vehicles, ports, off-road and GSE vehicles. “The PEGOS system offers, cost effective hybrid solutions with substantial fuel economy improvement and emission reduction. The initial product development focus is for port and off-road commercial vehicles” said Dr. Abas Goodarzi, President and CEO of US Hybrid. US Hybrid will provide an integrated hybrid solutions for commercial and off-road vehicles to enhance fuel economy and reduce emission. The PEGOS system can double the fuel economy with more than 80% emission reduction. The off-road vehicles are most polluting vehicles with the least fuel efficiency. The use of off-road vehicles is being regulated especially where I used near populated area such as ports and construction sites. The PEGOS hybrid system provides a commercially viable hybrid solution to meet the 2007 and 2010 emission requirements. US Hybrid awarded $1.3M DOE grant for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV)July 31, 2007 US Hybrid Corporation announces today that it has been awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE) a $1.3M contract to further the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles power converters (PHEV). This contract, in support of President Bush’s “Twenty in Ten” plan, to advance leading-edge power electronics and electric motor technologies to help bring PHEVs to market. The “Twenty in Ten” plan seeks to reduce U.S. fuel consumption by twenty percent within the decade by increasing the use of alternative and renewable sources of energy and modernizing the current Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards. Assistant Secretary of Energy, Alexander Karsner, noted that the US Hybrid project “will not only help alleviate our ‘addiction to oil’ but also play a critical role in accelerating commercialization and making more clean and efficient alternative vehicles available to consumers”. Mr. Karsner went on to state that “not only will more alternative vehicles on the road help reduce our reliance on imported sources of energy, it’s also critical to confronting climate change.” Advancing vehicle technologies is a significant part of DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program, which aims to develop vehicle technologies and alternative fuels that could dramatically reduce the demand for petroleum, decrease emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and enable the U.S. transportation industry to sustain a strong, competitive position in domestic and world markets. US Hybrid will design and develop a bi-directional DC/DC converter for PHEVs. This work will include a vehicle system study to determine the optimum operating battery and DC-link voltages, allowing for higher efficiency and lower costs. Team members include University of Illinois. US Hybrid’s bi-directional dc-dc converter will provide the high efficiency of greater than 95% for the PHEV Market while utilizing SiC power devices with high frequency multi-phases topology with advanced magnetics with a maximum cooling temperature of 105 C with fast dynamic response. US Hybrid designed, integrated and delivered the GMC hybrid vans to VerizonUS Hybrid Corporation (www.ushybrid.com) proudly revealed today the firm’s participation in the hybrid vehicle system design, integration and delivery of thirteen GMC service vans to Verizon, North America’s 2nd largest fleet operator. Verizon has placed these vehicles in service for field evaluations. The vans utilize Enova's unique Post-Transmission Parallel Hybrid Drive System. Mike Staran, Enova’s President and CEO (www.enovasystems.com, AMEX: ENA and AIM: ENV and ENVS) said, “US Hybrid is an important part of the alliance, and we look forward to their continued participation in projects such as this. The technical expertise provided by US Hybrid is one that certainly complements Enova’s production strategy, and we anticipate many additional projects such as this in the near future.” |
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