WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mack has produced a heavy-duty, Class 8 hybrid electric vehicle which it says is a precursor to future commercial vehicles.

The new powertrain technology was introduced in a U.S. Air Force R-11 6,000 gallon capacity refueling truck built on a Mack RD 6×4 chassis. The hybrid was built at Mack’s Hagerstown, MD plant. The truck uses an electric motor in addition to a traditional diesel engine. The electric motor helps launch the truck and stores electrical energy during braking.

Hybrid vehicles have proven to improve fuel mileage while decreasing emissions and noise.

Mack says it plans to continue developing the technology in hopes of developing a full hybrid system for heavy-duty trucks. Full hybrids do not require the engine to idle while stopped, resulting in even greater fuel savings, the company says. Its current refueler is what the company is calling a “mild hybrid.”

Mack says refuse trucks would be ideal for full hybrid technology.

“We believe this technology shows promise for urban vehicles such as refuse trucks for many of the same reasons that the Air Force is interested in the refueler – reduced cost of operations and emissions without loss of performance,” said Guy Rini, director of advanced propulsion systems and Mack program manager for the hybrid project.