Party BS

I was at a party recently and was discussing this article about hybrid delivery trucks. And out of nowhere one of the people involved in the conversation started ridiculing me because there are no hybrid diesels. I did not say they were diesels. I said they were hybrids. Here is what the Eaton Corporation has to say about their engines.

At the current average diesel price of almost $2.50 per gallon, those savings equate to about $9,000 to $10,000 a truck per year in operation.

I could not find a passage that said they were diesel hybrids but this pretty much confirms it to me. I was too hasty.

Eaton employs a parallel-type diesel-electric hybrid system with Eaton’s Fuller® UltraShift® automated transmission It incorporates an electric motor/generator 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. When electric torque is blended with engine torque, the stored energy is used to improve fuel economy and vehicle performance for a given speed, or operate with electric power only. The system provides energy for use during engine-off worksite operations.

I feel better now.