Trucks

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are responsible for a quarter of U.S. highway petroleum consumption and a majority of the nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Alternative fuel and advanced technology trucks have the potential to significantly reduce the nation's petroleum consumption and emissions.

Many medium- and heavy-duty truck applications employ alternative fuel and advanced technologies. For example, prototype hybrid-electric trucks have been developed for package delivery applications, which have start-stop driving patterns that create potential efficiency gains when hybrid technology is used. Natural gas trucks typically can be found in centrally fueled fleets such as refuse trucks and street sweepers.

Advanced technologies are also used for idle reduction in trucks. Targeted primarily at over-the-road tractor-trailers, these technologies can reduce fuel use and emissions by reducing engine use for climate control and other auxiliary loads.

AVTA truck projects are designed to help fleet owners and operators make purchase decisions by providing them with comprehensive laboratory and fleet test data on viable alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. Project types include technology studies and evaluations of specific vehicles in a fleet. The most important vehicle propulsion technologies considered for fleet evaluations are those that appear to have a significant chance of commercialization.

Refer to the General Evaluation Plan: Fleet Test & Evaluation Projects (PDF 1.7 MB) for information about fleet selection, data collection, and products related to new evaluation projects. (Download Acrobat Reader.)

Projects

• Norcal LNG Trucks
• Idle Reduction

Related Projects

Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation

• City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation Advanced Technology Vehicles in Service: LNG Heavy-Duty Trucks (PDF 353 KB)

Raley's

• Raley's LNG Truck Fleet Final Results, Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project (PDF 1.1 MB)
• Raley's LNG Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project (PDF 387 KB)

Ralphs

• Ralphs Grocery EC-Diesel Truck Fleet: Final Results (PDF 964 KB)
• Ralphs Grocery EC-Diesel Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience (PDF 481 KB)

United Parcel Service

• United Parcel Service (UPS) CNG Truck Fleet: Final Results (PDF 1.6 MB)
• UPS CNG Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project (PDF 670 KB)

Waste Management

• Waste Management's LNG Truck Fleet Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project: Final Results (PDF 1.97 MB)
• Waste Management's LNG Truck Fleet - Start-Up Experience (PDF 1.3 MB)

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