All the brawn, 2/3's the fuel and emissions

Narrator Says:

It’s got all the brawn of a regular utility truck, but only burns about two-thirds the fuel.

The King County Fleet Administration division just took delivery of a second hybrid utility truck, allowing it to get all its work done while reducing the amount of vehicle greenhouse gas emissions produced.

The Roads Division maintains about 2,300 traffic lights in unincorporated King County and contract cities using the first hybrid utility truck it received in September of 2007, a 50-foot aerial bucket truck.

The new truck serves a different function.

It tows cars, trucks, and vans and can carry two at a time up to 15,000 pounds each.

King County Fleet Equipment Manager Bob Toppen Says:

This is the second of three hybrid trucks we have ordered. this particular chassis is an international chassis, but it uses the same Eaton Hybrid System as all the other hybrid manufacturers are using in this class of vehicle. [it] starts with your hybrid battery package, which is all enclosed inside of here. And it provides power to do a function besides driving down the road.

As in this case with this roll-back truck, we're able to load, unload engines without running the diesel engine. in the other case that we have, we have an aerial man-lift truck, where now we've gone from an initial 30% improvement in fuel economy, to just short of 40% improvement in fuel economy. that also equates out to a significant amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction and pollutants that we're putting into the air not only for the work force that's working around the vehicle but for the public, it's much cleaner it's much better for our air.

<<Sounds of truck starting>>

Narrator Says:

When the hybrid batteries are depleted on the truck, it automatically starts the engine to recharge them, completing the charge in about 8 minutes and shutting the engine off.

Furthermore, the new hybrid flat-beds diesel engine meets the latest e-p-a emission standards set forth in 2007.

In addition to reducing the amount of time the truck is burning diesel when loading and unloading vehicles, the hybrid system bears a certain amount of the propulsion needed to move the truck down the road.

King County Fleet Equipment Manager Bob Toppen Says:

First of all this is a 2007-compliant emission engine. so even without the hybrid package there is a reduction not only in particulate, but your nox gases that are a major part of the greenhouse gas emissions that we're trying to reduce here at King County.

In addition to that you're able to get by on less horse power because the hybrid system itself, not only will it run the functions on the back of the truck like the deck that you saw, but it also provides assist in taking off from a stop sign, and assist when you're driving down the road, up to 60 horsepower. so therefore you can get by with a much smaller engine than normally you would require to do the job because of that assist that it provides.

Narrator Says:

The Road Services Division is awaiting delivery of a second aerial bucket truck in late set to arrive in late August.

A fourth truck may be ordered in 2009.

That truck would be a mobile field service truck and would serve to provide oil changes for all county equipment in the field that can’t be brought into maintenance shops.