Today my girlfriend saw a medium size truck on the freeway with a "Kenworth Diesel Electric Hybrid" advertisement on the back! So of course she tells me and I look it up. Apparently they're supposed to be coming out with these for in-town runs. The model is the T370 hybrid. It's happening!

http://www.kenworth.com/6100_pre_mor.asp?file=2332

 

Ya I heard about that.

Wonder whats gunna happened when they try to make a Diesel Hybrid off highway heavy hauler truck.

 

you mean like these

http://hutnyak.com/MINExpo/Trucks/Eu...rkSideView.JPG

While not true "hybrid technology" off highway haulers for years have used diesel engines powering generators to run electric wheel motors.

 

Actually both are hybrids. The hybrid that kenworth is coming out with is referred to as a parallel style hybrid because either the internal combustion engine or the electric motors can power the driveline. The hybrid that you describe is referred to as a series style hybrid because the power has to go through each step.

In road going applications, parallel hybrids are more efficient. They also have the advantage of not needing both a generator and a drive motor. However, the motor on parallel hybrids tends to be smaller so it isn't as good getting a really heavy loads moving(trains, ships, etc). There is also a space issue with parallel hybrids since the engine needs to be hooked to the driveline instead of being wherever like in a series hybrid.

 

The hybrid advantage all but disappears in a steady-state heavy hauling application.

IN town, the hybrid advantage can be huge.

Hence, hybrid cars like a Prius actually get better mileage in town than on the hwy.

jh

 

Will be interesting to see how they do.

 

Hey everyone,

That's cool news about the Kenworth T370 hybrid! It's awesome to see hybrid trucks like this being developed for city use. It could really help in reducing pollution and saving fuel.

Little03, you're right to wonder about hybrid tech in heavy-duty trucks used off highways. It could be tricky due to their tough usage, but with technology getting better, who knows? We might see some advancements there too.

Keep sharing any new updates or thoughts!

Cheers,