Eaton to produce hybrid systems for trucks

CLEVELAND (AP) — Eaton Corp. is taking its diesel-electric hybrid technology for delivery trucks out of a research phase and into commercial production, the industrial parts maker said.

The company plans to produce several hundred hybrid power systems in 2007, said Kevin Beaty, manager of Eaton’s Hybrid Power Systems business unit. Eaton also plans to ramp up production capacity over the next three years.

The hybrid systems are diesel-electric, using an electric motor and generator linked to a vehicle’s transmission. The system recovers energy normally lost during braking and stores the energy in batteries.

The stored energy is used to improve fuel economy and vehicle performance or used to operate a vehicle with electric power only.

More than 220 hybrid-powered vehicles with Eaton’s technology systems have been produced for testing and evaluation in delivery vans, medium-duty delivery trucks, beverage haulers, city buses and utility repair trucks.