A new version of Odyne Systems’ plug-in hybrid propulsion package for heavy-duty utility bucket trucks halves unit costs and reduces the system’s weight even more, writes Fleet Owner.
The new system cuts the total weight of the hybrid package from 4,000 lbs. to 1,600 lbs., and reduces system costs from about $100,000 down to about $50,000.
Odyne achieved the savings by switching from a lead-acid battery to a lithium-ion battery pack, Fleet Owner reports.
Odyne’s system uses a high-voltage 14.2 kWh or 28.4 kWh Johnson Controls lithium-ion battery pack designed for work trucks. The battery is sized and located to suit the hybrid truck application.
The plug-in hybrid truck battery pack weighs about 400 pounds and recharges at off-peak hours at a cost of about $2.50, according to the Odyne website.
Odyne exhibited the new system at the 2012 National Truck Equipment Association show in Indianapolis this week, where company representatives said that the packages should deliver a 50 percent reduction in fuel consumption because of less engine idling, and that engine maintenance also is expected to be lowered, Fleet Owner said.
The Odyne plug-in hybrid system design uses an electric motor in parallel with the existing drive train for launch assist and regenerative braking. At a job site, worksite applications can run without engine power, but the engine automatically starts and recharges the system if the battery runs low, the Odyne website said.
The company said this month that five advanced plug-in hybrid propulsion vehicles funded by the DOE have now been completed and have been delivered to customers by DUECO, Inc., the final stage truck manufacturer. Companies receiving the new technology are Choptank Electric Cooperative, Consumers Energy, NiSource, and NV Energy.
Photo: Odyne