FREIGHTLINER HYBRID

The first seven Business Class M2e drop-frame beverage trucks with hybrid diesel/electric power are off the line,
and Freightliner says the truck is ready to order. It’s the first such truck to be built, the company says, though
two other OEMs are hot on the trail. M2e hybrid utility bucket trucks have also been built.

Using a Cummins ISB engine and Eaton Fuller Ultrashift transmission sandwiching the ubiquitous Eaton hybrid
electric drive unit, the truck is said to be capable of 30% fuel savings. The diesel engine is good for 300 hp and
620 lb ft of torque, aided by another 60 hp and 200 lb ft from the electric motor.

The truck’s lithium ion batteries, which weigh about 200 lb and are expected to last up to seven years, reside just
under the roof at the front of the beverage body, which means they take up no payload space. The hybrid power unit
is separately cooled, using a fan that sits at the lower rear of the cab in front of the body – using space created
by reducing the fuel tank’s size by 16 gal. The hybrid system’s electronic controls are set on the back of the cab,
accessed through a panel on the front wall of the beverage body.

Dave Bryant, sales manager for Business Class vocational sales, says dealer training on the M2e hybrid is well
under way.


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