Eaton Announces Plans to Develop Heavy-Duty Hybrid System For Trucks

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--June 22, 2006--Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation has announced it has begun development of a hybrid electric power system for the heavy-duty (Class 8) commercial vehicle market - to deliver both on-road efficiency and idle reduction for significant fuel savings and emissions reductions.

The heavy-duty system will be similar in design and will share many of the same components as Eaton's highly successful medium-duty hybrid electric system built for Class 4-7 vehicles, but will be adapted for Class 8 vehicles with on-highway applications.

Fleets using Eaton's heavy-duty hybrid system will experience reduced fuel consumption both while driving and when parked. Recent independent test results have shown a 5-7 percent savings versus a conventional Class 8 vehicle while driving, and a savings of one gallon per hour when parked. Those savings equate to about $9,500 a truck per year in normal operation, resulting in cost savings for a typical truckload carrier with 1,000 power units to $9.5 million per year.

The idle reduction mode in Eaton's heavy-duty hybrid system will enable fleets to save fuel, reduce emissions and comply with rapidly expanding local anti-idling laws. The system's batteries power the heating, air conditioning, and vehicle electrical systems while the engine is off. When the idle reduction mode is active, engine operation is limited to battery charging, an automatically controlled process that will take approximately five minutes per hour. In the proposed system design, a proprietary feature minimizes engine vibration during start-up and shut-down during the recharge periods, allowing the driver to rest without interruption.

Eaton's heavy-duty hybrid electric power system will be built using an automated manual transmission with a parallel-type "direct" hybrid system, incorporating an electric motor/generator located between the output of an automated clutch and the input to a Fuller(R) UltraShift(R) transmission. One feature of this system will be its ability to recover energy normally lost during braking and store the energy in batteries. When electric torque is blended with engine torque, this stored energy is used to improve vehicle performance, operate the engine in a more fuel-efficient range for a given speed, or operate with electric power only.

"We see an exciting future for hybrid electric vehicles in the heavy-duty market place," said Kevin Beaty, manager, Eaton Hybrid Power Systems. "We've demonstrated our leadership in hybrid power over the last five years for our medium-duty customers, and we're confident that we can carry that forward with a strong value proposition to our heavy-duty customers."

Beaty indicated that Eaton's heavy hybrid power system was currently in the testing and development phases, and that they are working with truck and engine makers and select fleets to field prototypes for field evaluation. Eaton's heavy-duty hybrid power system is expected to be available well before 2010, and could help meet the latest EPA emissions regulations scheduled to be enforced at that time.

Eaton has led the introduction of hybrid power into commercial trucks since 2002 when it was selected as the sole supplier of 18 hybrid electric power systems that were installed in the Fed-Ex Opti-Fleet E700 vehicle through a project sponsored by FedEx Express and advocacy group Environmental Defense. That same year Eaton was selected, in partnership with International Truck and Engine, to lead the Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratories' Advanced Heavy Hybrid Propulsion System project. Through this project Eaton developed a hybrid electric power train for the class 4-7 market that was integrated onto a United Parcel Service (UPS) urban package delivery vehicle.

Through these projects and others, Eaton has built a business case for their hybrid electric powertrain that has thus far resulted in a recent order of 75 additional Opti-Fleet E-700 trucks that are currently being placed into service in FedEx Express's pick-up and delivery fleet along with orders from UPS for 50 additional hybrid step-van delivery vehicles to be placed into service in late 2006.

Eaton has also partnered with International and the Hybrid Truck Users Forum to build hybrid-powered utility trucks - of which 24 have been built and are being deployed in utility fleets throughout the United States. Eaton is also involved in hydraulic hybrid systems for various truck applications and yesterday teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency, UPS, International and the U.S. Army to unveil a hydraulic hybrid diesel vehicle that significantly increases fuel efficiency and decreases emissions.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2005 sales of $11.1 billion. Eaton is a global leader in electrical systems and components for power quality, distribution and control; fluid power systems and services for industrial, mobile and aircraft equipment; intelligent truck drivetrain systems for safety and fuel economy; and automotive engine air management systems, powertrain solutions and specialty controls for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 60,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 125 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.