As a part of UPS’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and investment in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, 50 UPS gasoline delivery trucks are being converted in the metro area with hydraulic hybrid systems. The Energy Recovery System (ERS), manufactured by Lightning Hybrids, is designed to improve fuel efficiency for UPS’s medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and ideal for Chicago’s stop and go traffic. The first converted vehicles hit the road on Sept. 26.
The project is partially funded by Drive Clean Chicago, a program that aims to accelerate the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure in Chicago.
A hydraulic hybrid vehicle is one which blends two propulsion systems to provide benefits including fuel economy and emissions reductions. In this case, the gasoline-powered internal combustion engines are combined with Lightning Hybrids’ ERS. The Lightning Hybrids’ ERS is designed for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles with a front engine and a drive shaft which runs from the transmission to the rear differential.
The hydraulic system captures and stores energy when the vehicle brakes and then uses the stored energy to power the wheels when accelerating. The system re-pressurizes at each stop so the launch assist can be repeated throughout the stop and start cycle of driving. By regenerating the braking energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat and using this energy instead of the internal combustion engine for acceleration, fuel efficiency and emission reduction gains can be achieved.
Through on-road testing UPS has found hydraulic hybrid systems provide fuel economy improvements from which UPS expects a one to two-year return on investment.
Using its “Rolling Laboratory” approach, UPS deploys more than 7,200 low-emission vehicles, operating one of the largest alternative fuel and advanced technology fleets in the U.S. In addition to hydraulic hybrids, the fleet includes all-electric, hybrid electric and light-weight fuel-saving composite body vehicles. UPS trucks also use compressed natural gas (CNG), renewable natural gas (RNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane.
In August 2016, UPS achieved its goal more than a year early of driving 1 billion miles in its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. By the end of 2016, UPS will have invested more than $750 million in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fueling stations globally since 2009.
