Heavy-duty trucks can achieve 30 percent fuel saving

Road tests conducted by BAE Systems reveal that commercial trucks powered by the company’s green HybriDrive parallel hybrid electric propulsion system use 30 percent less fuel than trucks running on traditional diesel engines. 

The parallel system – the latest member of BAE Systems’ HybriDrive family – complements and draws upon the company’s proven HybriDrive series system, currently deployed in more than 3,500 transit buses across the globe. The parallel system is designed for heavy-duty truck applications that include refuse collection, construction, pick-up and delivery, and utility vehicles.

The average fuel economy improvement of 30 percent on trucks powered by the parallel system was experienced across a range of standard driving cycles. However, the system performed best on stop-and-go cycles where average speed is between five and 20 miles per hour making it an optimal choice for refuse collection and delivery trucks. Based on duty cycles and fuel usage, a truck fleet owner who uses the HybriDrive parallel system can expect payback within three to five years.

“Our HybriDrive parallel development program is on track. We continue to diligently and rigorously validate all the performance requirements through actual hardware testing,” said Dr. Mike Mekhiche, program director for BAE Systems HybriDrive parallel systems. “Our fuel economy and overall system performance are excellent and will add real value to our customers in their day-to-day operations in terms of increasing productivity, and considerably lowering fleet life cycle costs while supporting a greener and cleaner environment.”

With power and torque ratings three times those of available products in the marketplace today, the superior fuel economy of the HybriDrive parallel propulsion system positions it to lead the marketplace, said Mekhiche.

The scale of fuel economy improvements measured in these truck tests are consistent with the exceptional fuel efficiency of the HybriDrive family of products. BAE Systems HybriDrive series propulsion system delivers even greater fuel economy improvements on transit bus duty cycles and, with the inclusion of engine start/stop and accessory electrification, can achieve improvements of up to 50 percent.