Pity Its Not Ypsilanti, MI Getting These

[Tuckerfan1053]

Ann Arbor, MI getting hydraulic hybrid trucks: http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/29/an ... ng-trucks/

This week, the city of Ann Arbor, MI began deploying four of the first 25 trucks equipped with an Eaton Corporation hydraulic launch assist system. Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje and Clean Energy Coalition executive director Sean Reed presented one of the new recycling trucks at the city's Wheeler service center.

The hydraulic launch assist (HLA) system operates on a principal similar to other hydraulic hybrid systems we've seen. A pair of accumulators store energy captured during braking and release it during acceleration. The HLA is a parallel hybrid with a hydraulic pump motor connected to the drive-shaft through an electronically controlled transfer case clutch.

[Tuckeroo]

@Tuckerfan1053:

I'm guessing you're a fan of hydraulic drive systems! Lately I've been wondering: what advantage does this system have over, say, a gasoline/Diesel/other internal combustion engine turning an electric generator at a constant RPM, which then powers electric motors at the wheels - such as you might find on a Diesel/electric locomotive?

[Tuckerfan1053]

@Tuckerfan1053:

I'm guessing you're a fan of hydraulic drive systems! Lately I've been wondering: what advantage does this system have over, say, a gasoline/Diesel/other internal combustion engine turning an electric generator at a constant RPM, which then powers electric motors at the wheels - such as you might find on a Diesel/electric locomotive?

I'm not the only one. Preston liked them too, it seems. Simplicity, lower cost, and no need for exotic and environmentally nasty battery materials are the big advantages over hybrids. I think that they also can weigh less than massive battery packs often needed by hybrid vehicles.

[Tuckeroo]

...I'm overcome with this weird sense that a backyard build-off is going to commence...