The RunWise Hydrostatic technology performed well in South Florida field trials last summer and the communities of Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami chose to upgrade their refuse collection fleets and purchase a total of 11 Autocar E3 trucks with the new RunWise technology. The new system increases fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions on class 8 trucks, the company said.
Jeff Cullman, group president of hydraulics at Parker Hannifin, said: “These orders build on our ongoing development and commercialization of our unique hydraulic hybrid technology platform and demonstrates the adaptability of our technologies to different vehicle classes. A variation of this technology platform has already received commercial scale orders for use on walk-in delivery vehicles. We are particularly pleased to see our public agency partners lead the way in recognizing the benefits that this technology can bring in terms of lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact.”
Vance Zanardelli, manager of recovery business unit at Parker Energy, said: “This is a technology that holds great promise as a contributor to reduced environmental impact and increased fuel efficiency. We are on the cutting edge of advancements in hydraulic hybrid technology, which has application not only in refuse trucks and delivery vehicles but also for yard hostlers and city buses.”
The company claims that RunWise features proprietary software, which allows for seamless shifting and smoother braking, improving drivability. During a full month of testing in South Florida, the RunWise system registered a 72% improvement in fuel efficiency. On an annual basis, the green technology reduces each truck’s carbon footprint by an estimated 28 tons along routes with frequent stops.
In addition, the technology extends the brake maintenance period for each truck from every six months to once every 24 months to even 30 months depending on duty cycle. Full production of the system is expected in 2011.
