INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Visitors to the Work Truck Show last week had the opportunity to take part in a hybrid ride-and-drive hosted by Eaton to get a feel for the technology that will soon be widely available to the industry.

Demonstration vehicles included chassis from International, Peterbilt and Freightliner, each equipped with an Eaton hybrid electric system. The Eaton system will be commercially available this year through most major North American OEMs, the company announced at the show.

Just as the trucking industrys interest in hybrid trucks continues to expand, so does our progress in providing a cost-effective and reliable hybrid solution, said Mark Lloyd, market development manager for Eatons Hybrid Power Systems. The Work Truck Show provides us with a great opportunity to demonstrate our success.

Eatons hybrid technology is currently being used on delivery vehicles operated by Federal Express and UPS. Fourteen public utility fleets in the US also use the technology. Customers report achieving fuel mileage gains and emissions reductions.

Eaton uses a parallel-type diesel-electric hybrid system along with its Fuller UltraShift automated transmission. An electric motor/generator is used between the output of an automated clutch and input of the transmission. The system recovers energy normally lost during braking and stores the energy in batteries. That energy can then be used as torque to help move the vehicle.

More information about Eatons hybrid technology is available at www.roadranger.com.