[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HYBRID TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDIUM- TO
HEAVY-DUTY COMMERCIAL TRUCKS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND
ENVIRONMENT
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
JUNE 10, 2008
__________
Serial No. 110-107
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
42-802 PDF WASHINGTON : 2008
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chairman
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR.,
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin
MARK UDALL, Colorado LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas
DAVID WU, Oregon DANA ROHRABACHER, California
BRIAN BAIRD, Washington ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland
BRAD MILLER, North Carolina VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan
DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma
NICK LAMPSON, Texas JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri
JERRY MCNERNEY, California JO BONNER, Alabama
LAURA RICHARDSON, California TOM FEENEY, Florida
PAUL KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey BOB INGLIS, South Carolina
JIM MATHESON, Utah DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington
MIKE ROSS, Arkansas MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida
RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri PHIL GINGREY, Georgia
CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
BARON P. HILL, Indiana ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia
CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio
ANDRE CARSON, Indiana
------
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
HON. NICK LAMPSON, Texas, Chairman
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois BOB INGLIS, South Carolina
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland
DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri
JERRY MCNERNEY, California RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
MARK UDALL, Colorado MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas
BRIAN BAIRD, Washington MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida
PAUL KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania
BART GORDON, Tennessee RALPH M. HALL, Texas
JEAN FRUCI Democratic Staff Director
CHRIS KING Democratic Professional Staff Member
MICHELLE DALLAFIOR Democratic Professional Staff Member
SHIMERE WILLIAMS Democratic Professional Staff Member
ELAINE PAULIONIS PHELEN Democratic Professional Staff Member
ADAM ROSENBERG Democratic Professional Staff Member
ELIZABETH STACK Republican Professional Staff Member
TARA ROTHSCHILD Republican Professional Staff Member
STACEY STEEP Research Assistant
C O N T E N T S
June 10, 2008
Page
Witness List..................................................... 2
Hearing Charter.................................................. 3
Opening Statements
Statement by Representative Nick Lampson, Chairman, Subcommittee
on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology,
U.S. House of Representatives.................................. 5
Written Statement............................................ 5
Statement by Representative Bob Inglis, Ranking Minority Member,
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science
and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.................. 6
Written Statement............................................ 7
Prepared Statement by Representative Jerry F. Costello, Member,
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science
and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.................. 9
Statement by Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Ranking
Minority Member, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight,
Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of
Representatives................................................ 7
Written Statement............................................ 8
Witnesses:
Mr. Terry Penney, Technology Manager, Advanced Vehicle
Technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden,
Colorado
Oral Statement............................................... 10
Written Statement............................................ 12
Biography.................................................... 17
Mr. Eric M. Smith, Chief Engineer, Medium Duty Hybrid Electric
Powertrains, Eaton Corporation
Oral Statement............................................... 18
Written Statement............................................ 19
Biography.................................................... 23
Mr. Joseph T. Dalum, Vice President, DUECO
Oral Statement............................................... 23
Written Statement............................................ 25
Biography.................................................... 31
Ms. Jill M. Egbert, Manager, Clean Air Transportation, Pacific
Gas & Electric Company
Oral Statement............................................... 32
Written Statement............................................ 33
Biography.................................................... 35
Mr. Richard C. Parish, Senior Program Manager, CALSTART Hybrid
Truck Users Forum (HTUF), Denver, Colorado
Oral Statement............................................... 35
Written Statement............................................ 38
Biography.................................................... 45
Discussion
The Federal Government's Role in Promoting Heavy Hybrid
Technologies................................................. 46
Pricing........................................................ 47
The 21st Century Truck Partnership............................. 47
Scientific and Economic Barriers to Deployment................. 48
Battery Technology and Disposal................................ 50
Department of Defense Hybrid Efforts........................... 52
Competitive Grants............................................. 54
Hybridizing Off-road Work Equipment............................ 55
More on Scientific and Economic Barriers to Deployment......... 58
Role for the DOE National Laboratories......................... 59
HYBRID TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDIUM- TO HEAVY-DUTY COMMERCIAL TRUCKS
----------
TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment,
Committee on Science and Technology,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:06 a.m., in
Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Nick
Lampson [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
hearing charter
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Hybrid Technologies for Medium- to
Heavy-Duty Commercial Trucks
tuesday, june 10, 2008
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
2318 rayburn house office building
Purpose
On Tuesday, June 10 the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of
the Committee on Science and Technology will hold a hearing to receive
testimony on the state of development of hybrid electric technologies
for medium- to heavy-duty commercial vehicle applications and the role
of the Department of Energy (DOE) in supporting research and
development of these systems. The Committee will also receive testimony
on a discussion draft of legislation to be introduced by Rep.
Sensenbrenner.
Witnesses
Mr. Terry Penney, Technology Manager, Advanced Vehicle and Fuel
Technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Mr. Eric M. Smith, Chief Engineer, Hybrid Medium Duty Truck, Eaton
Corporation
Mr. Joseph Dalum, Vice President, Dueco Inc.
Ms. Jill Egbert, Manager, Clean Air Transportation, Pacific Gas &
Electric Company (PG&E)
Mr. Richard Parish, Senior Program Manager, CALSTART Hybrid Truck Users
Forum (HTUF)
The witnesses will discuss the considerable potential for energy
savings and emissions reductions through deployment of hybrid electric
systems in heavy duty trucks, the range of hybrid heavy truck
technologies and applications, the major technical and market barriers
in deploying these technologies, and their experience with the federal
energy research programs.
The witnesses will also offer their views on the draft legislation
to authorize a federal research and demonstration program on hybrid
technologies for heavy-duty vehicles.
Background
There are significant potential economic and environmental benefits
from improving medium- to heavy-duty vehicles through the
electrification of drive trains and auxiliary power systems. Hybrid
technologies (ex: battery and hydraulic) are being developed for a wide
range of commercial vehicle platforms such as package delivery vans,
refuse collection trucks, large utility ``bucket trucks,'' military and
construction vehicles, and even long-haul tractor trailer trucks.
Conventional large truck models share the common characteristics of
relatively low fuel efficiency and high emissions profiles since they
must rely solely on a diesel or gasoline internal combustion engine for
power. These inefficiencies are especially evident in trucks that
require frequent starts and stops, or long periods of non-drive time
engine idling in order to provide power for auxiliary systems such as
bucket lifters and other work-related equipment, off-board power tools,
air conditioning, and refrigeration. By switching some driving and
auxiliary loads to hybrid systems large trucks stand to save a
considerable amount of fuel and greatly reduce their emissions.
For defense applications, hybrid systems provide the added benefit
of generating very little noise, providing power for radar and weapons
systems, reducing overall weight and maintenance requirements, and
allowing vehicles to run much longer between fueling. In fact, military
requirements have been a major driver of innovation in hybrid
technologies for heavy vehicles.
The power demands on heavy duty trucks are as varied as the
applications. While several truck companies are testing hybrid models,
significant technical hurdles remain, and there is no one-size-fits-all
hybrid solution for the entire sector. Through the course of an average
drive cycle the charging and discharging of a hybrid electric or
hydraulic system on a trash truck, with its frequent starts and stops,
dumpster lifting, and trash compaction, will be considerably different
than that of a utility truck which may idle in one place for several
hours in order to operate the bucket lifting boom and other equipment.
Long haul tractor trailer rigs (Class 8) may prove even more
challenging since they seldom brake during a drive cycle, providing
little opportunities for battery systems to recharge. The next
generation of trucks may also include plug-in hybrid electric models
which can charge larger banks of batteries through direct connection to
the electricity grid.
While the total number of these vehicles is small compared to
passenger vehicles, their fuel consumption and emissions justify the
high costs of development of hybrid models. According to figures by the
Oshkosh Truck Corporation there are approximately 90,000 refuse
collection trucks in the U.S. but their collective fuel consumption is
roughly equivalent to 2.5 million passenger vehicles (based on 10,000
gallons/year per truck). Estimates done by the Eaton Corporation show
that as little as 10,000 hybrid electric trucks could reduce diesel
fuel usage by 7.2 million gallons/year (approx. one million barrels of
oil), reduce NOX emissions by the amount equivalent to removing New
York City's passenger cars for 25 days, and reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 83,000 tons.
The energy storage options for hybrid trucks generally include
batteries, hybrid hydraulic systems, and ultracapacitors. Batteries
receive the most attention and research funding because of their
applicability throughout the transportation sector. To expand the use
of electricity in the vehicles sector batteries must be smaller,
lighter, cheaper, and more powerful. Vehicle batteries typically fall
into one of three families of technologies: lead-acid, nickel metal
hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion (Li-Ion). Lead-acid batteries have many
advantages including their relative simplicity and low cost, wide-scale
availability, domestic manufacturing capacity, and established
recycling infrastructure. NiMH batteries are found in the current
generation of hybrid vehicles and will be the battery of choice for
many of the first generation heavy hybrid trucks. However, high weight
and low power density are significant issues for both lead-acid and
NiMH batteries, and they may not be optimal for future plug-in hybrid
applications. Many in the industry believe the future of hybrids
depends on breakthroughs in new battery technologies, such as the
lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries with their low weight and high power
density. But, in addition to solving remaining technical issues such as
heat management, the costs of manufacturing Li-ion batteries remain
prohibitively high for large-scale deployment in vehicles. There is
also concern that the U.S. is falling behind in the race to develop and
manufacture batteries, and a significant effort is underway to build up
a domestic supply chain.
The Department of Energy has funded research in this area over the
years, most recently through the 21st Century Truck Partnership which
conducts R&D through public-private efforts with the trucking industry.
Other federal agencies involved in the 21st Century Truck Partnership
include the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation,
and the Environmental Protection Agency. Federal research capabilities
exist in DOE laboratories such as the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, the EPA's National Vehicle
and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, and the Army's National Automotive
Center. Despite the potential economic and environmental benefits of
hybrid trucks and the considerable technical hurdles that remain, the
21st Century Truck Partnership is facing decreased funding as the
Administration chooses to shift the focus of federal research to the
passenger vehicle market.
Draft Legislation
Representative James Sensenbrenner will have draft legislation
available for the Committee and witnesses to review. Specifically, the
draft legislation would accelerate research of plug-in hybrid
technology in trucks by creating grants for manufacturers to build,
test, and ultimately sell plug-in hybrid utility and delivery trucks.
The Act would also encourage DOE to expand its research in advanced
energy storage technologies to include heavy hybrid trucks as well as
passenger vehicles.
Chairman Lampson. The hearing will come to order. I want to
welcome the Members of the Subcommittee and our distinguished
panelists to today's hearing on hybrid technologies for medium-
to heavy-duty commercial trucks.
With concerns about our over-reliance on foreign oil, the
skyrocketing costs of fuels, and the effects of our
transportation sector on air quality and carbon emissions,
technological strides in the commercial truck market stand to
offer tremendous benefits to our economic and environmental
health.
Though it is easy to overlook, these vehicles are pervasive
throughout our economy. From school buses to trash collectors,
utility trucks to delivery vans, long-haul tractor trailers to
road work equipment, one would be hard pressed to identify an
aspect of our daily lives that didn't at some point depend on
medium-to-heavy trucks, heavy-duty trucks. They also represent
a substantial portion of the U.S. fuel consumption and
emissions.
The truck industry is due for a major technological shift.
But advances in this sector don't come easily, and there is no
one-size-fits-all solution. The demands on these vehicles are
as varied as their uses. Consequently, there remains a need for
a robust federal program to partner with industry and develop
this wide range of hybrid platforms.
The focus for hybrid vehicle technology development has
largely been on passenger vehicles. Passenger vehicles have
paved the way both in terms of advancing the technologies and
expanding public awareness of capabilities of hybrid systems.
You need only to visit your local dealership and see the
waiting lines and lists for hybrid models to know that the
general public is serious about saving fuel and reducing
emissions.
But there is a larger market for hybrids beyond the family
automobile. Reducing fuel costs and meeting environmental
regulations is vital to the bottom line of any company that
relies on heavy trucks. Yet the Administration has chosen to
shift resources to the passenger automobile and away from its
21st Century Truck Program. Given the significant gains to be
made in the commercial truck sector and its indispensable role
in our economy, we should ensure that federal research and
development programs continue to address the need to improve
fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles.
We are joined by our colleague, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Ranking
Republican Member of the Investigations and Oversight
Subcommittee, who will soon introduce legislation to enhance
the federal role in the development of heavy hybrid vehicles. I
would like to thank him for elevating this subject to the level
that it deserves, and I look forward to the opportunity to
consider his legislation at the appropriate time.
And at this time I would yield to my distinguished
colleague from South Carolina, our Ranking Member, Mr. Inglis,
for an opening statement.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Lampson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Chairman Nick Lampson
I want to welcome Members of the Subcommittee and our distinguished
panelists to today's hearing on hybrid technologies for medium- to
heavy-duty commercial trucks.
With concerns about our over-reliance on foreign oil, the
skyrocketing costs of fuels, and the effects of our transportation
sector on air quality and carbon emissions, technological strides in
the commercial truck market stand to offer tremendous benefits to our
economic and environmental health.
Though it is easy to overlook, these vehicles are pervasive
throughout our economy. From school buses to trash collectors, utility
trucks to delivery vans, long-haul tractor trailers to road work
equipment, one would be hard pressed to identify an aspect of our daily
life that did not at some point depend on medium- to heavy-duty trucks.
They also represent a substantial portion of the U.S. fuel
consumption and emissions.
The truck industry is due for a major technology shift. But,
advances in this sector don't come easy, and there is no one-size-fits
all solution. The demands on these vehicles are as varied as their
uses. Consequently, there remains a need for a robust federal program
to partner with industry and develop this wide range of hybrid
platforms.
The focus for hybrid vehicle technology development has largely
been on passenger vehicles. Passenger vehicles have paved the way both
in terms of advancing the technologies and expanding public awareness
of the capabilities of hybrid systems. You need only to visit your
local dealership and see the waiting lists for hybrid models to know
that the general public is serious about saving fuel and reducing
emissions.
But there is a larger market for hybrids beyond the family
automobile. Reducing fuel costs and meeting environmental regulations
is vital to the bottom line of any company that relies on heavy trucks.
Yet, the Administration has chosen to shift resources to the passenger
automobile and away from its 21st Century Truck Program. Given the
significant gains to be made in the commercial truck sector, and its
indispensable role in our economy, we should ensure that federal
research and development programs continue to address the need to
improve fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles.
We are joined by our colleague Mr. Sensenbrenner, Ranking
Republican Member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee, who
will soon introduce legislation to enhance the federal role in the
development of heavy hybrid vehicles. I would like to thank him for
elevating this subject to the level it deserves, and I look forward to
the opportunity to consider his legislation.
At this point I will turn to the distinguished Ranking Member of
this subcommittee, Mr. Inglis for his opening statement.
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for holding
this hearing.
Transportation needs innovation. The transportation sector
is our primary consumer of oil and exhales more carbon dioxide
emissions than any other source. The more we pay at the pump
each week, the easier it is to realize the obvious benefits of
alternatives to oil. It seems that rising oil prices rouse our
attention to ways that we could ``do energy'' a different way.
This hearing is a case in point.
In previous hearings of this subcommittee we have talked
about reinventing the car. We have heard the economic,
environmental, and national security benefits that will accrue
to pursuing hybrid, battery, and hydrogen technologies to power
tomorrow's cars.
Today we will hear from a number of experts about the
medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck market and its needs
for the same innovative focus. Applications such as hybrid
engines and battery-powered auxiliary systems promise a
significant reduction in oil consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions, but technological hurdles stand in the way of
realizing those benefits.
I join with the Chairman in thanking Mr. Sensenbrenner for
introducing this draft legislation that would steer federal
dollars toward research, development, and demonstration in the
areas of commercial truck hybrid technologies. I would be
interested to hear from our witnesses as to whether current oil
prices are enough incentive for heavy truck companies to invest
in these technologies, or if there is a necessary role for the
Federal Government to assist in overcoming these technological
hurdles.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to hearing
from our witnesses on their perspectives in this, on their
perspectives in this legislation and suggestions as to ways we
might improve it.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Inglis follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Bob Inglis
Thank you for holding this hearing, Mr. Chairman.
Transportation needs innovation. The transportation sector is our
primary consumer of oil, and exhales more carbon dioxide emissions than
any other source. The more we pay at the pump each week, the easier it
is to realize the obvious benefits of alternatives to oil. It seems
that rising oil prices rouse our attention to ways we could ``do
energy'' a different way. This hearing is a case in point.
In previous hearings of this subcommittee, we've talked about
reinventing the car. We've heard the economic, environmental, and
national security benefits that will come from pursuing hybrid,
battery, and hydrogen technologies to power tomorrow's cars.
Today, we'll hear from several experts that the medium- and heavy-
duty commercial truck market needs the same innovative focus.
Applications such as hybrid engines and battery-powered auxiliary
systems promise a significant reduction in oil consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions, but technological hurdles stand in the way of
realizing those benefits.
I'd also like to thank Mr. Sensenbrenner for introducing draft
legislation that would steer federal dollars toward research,
development, and demonstration in the area of commercial truck hybrid
technologies. I'd be interested to hear from our witnesses as to
whether current oil prices are enough incentive for heavy truck
companies to invest in these technologies, or if there's still a
necessary role for the Federal Government to assist in overcoming these
technological hurdles.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to hearing from our
witnesses on their perspectives of this legislation and any suggestions
they may have to improve it.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Inglis.
And now I would like to recognize Mr. Sensenbrenner for a
statement.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
New taxes are not the only solution to climate change. We
need to focus our economy as we work to reduce our emissions.
We can over regulate our businesses, cripple our economic
development, and watch as China and India race past us,
sputtering greenhouse gases along the way. Or Congress can
create incentives that encourage the development of new
technologies that will reduce our emissions, foster economic
development, and allow U.S. manufacturers to export their
energy-saving technologies worldwide.
A honking motorcade of trucks around the Capitol last month
flashed signs that read, ``When Trucks Stop, America Stops.''
Commercial traffic is truly vital to the American economy, and
the fuel costs for trucks directly affects costs for all
Americans. The additional price of their fuel raises the price
of our food, health care, manufacturing, retail, waste removal,
and other goods and services. And while our economy would not
survive without them, trucks consume huge quantities of oil,
which raises the cost of their businesses and raises our
dependence on oil and injects greenhouse gases into the
environment.
The answer is not to burden these businesses already
strained by high fuel costs with additional taxes for the
CO2 they release. Instead, we need to encourage the
development and introduction of technologies that will reduce
their fuel consumption.
The technologies we need already exist. Everybody has seen
hybrid cars. This technology, which combines gas and electric
motors for a powerful and efficient engine, is even more
practical in trucks. Even though there are fewer trucks on the
road, trucks use more fuel.
Utility trucks, for example, typically drive short
distances to and from a work site, but sit idle for hours while
on site. A plug-in hybrid truck would use less fuel getting to
and from the site and would operate without any fuel on the
site. Ultimately, a plug-in hybrid engine in a utility truck
could use up to 60 percent less fuel.
Delivery trucks constantly stop and go. Hybrid engines
excel at this type of driving because the engine can
essentially turn off during short accelerations, while coasting
and while it is at a stop.
Developing these technologies will have benefits beyond
fuel savings. By making our trucks more efficient, we will make
our goods and services more affordable and then become leaders
in these new technologies. Like America, Asia is faced with
rising fuel costs. Their trucking fleets, like ours, are
currently powered by diesel. In Europe the price of diesel has
risen to nearly $9 a gallon. This has led to a strike. Spanish
truckers are currently holding a ``snail protest,'' essentially
blockading the highways of Spain and Southern France by inching
along the road. Anti-protest demonstrators, fearing that food
and other goods could become scarce, have rebelled violently by
slashing truck tires and smashing their windshields. If
America's companies are the first to develop and commercialize
products such as the topic of the hearing today, not only can
we avoid a similar fate, but we can export these technologies
worldwide.
By helping American manufacturers research and
commercialize new technologies, we can strengthen our economy,
reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and lower our emissions.
The legislation we will discuss today is a narrow example of
how technology, and not taxes or carbon offset credits, can
help solve our energy crisis. The legislation would accelerate
research of plug-in hybrid technology in trucks by creating
grants for manufacturers to build, test, and sell plug-in
hybrid utility and delivery trucks. The Act would also
encourage the Department of Energy to expand its research in
advanced energy storage technologies to include heavy hybrid
trucks as well as passenger vehicles. This bill will put plug-
in hybrid trucks on the road and help advance research and
accelerate commercialization of this important technology.
I thank the Chairman for holding this hearing and the
witnesses for lending their expertise to this effort, and yield
back the balance of my time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sensenbrenner follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.
New taxes are not the only solution to climate change. We need to
focus on our economy as we work to reduce our emissions. We can over-
regulate our businesses, cripple our economic development, and watch as
China and India race past us--sputtering greenhouse gases along the
way--or Congress can create incentives that encourage the development
of new technologies that will reduce our emissions, foster economic
development, and allow U.S. manufacturers to export their energy-saving
technologies worldwide.
A honking motorcade of trucks around the Capitol last month flashed
signs that read, ``When Trucks Stop, America Stops.'' Commercial
traffic is truly vital to the American economy, and the fuel costs for
trucks directly affect costs for all Americans. The additional price of
their fuel raises the price of our food, health care, manufacturing,
retail, waste removal, and other the goods and services. While our
economy would not survive without them, trucks consume huge quantities
of oil, which raises the cost of their business, increases our
dependence on oil, and injects greenhouse gases into our environment.
The answer is not to burden these businesses, already strained by
high fuel costs, with additional taxes for the carbon dioxide they
release. Instead, we need to encourage the development and introduction
of technologies that will reduce their fuel consumption.
The technologies we need already exist. Everyone has seen hybrid
cars. This technology, which combines gas and electric motors for a
powerful and efficient engine, is even more practical in trucks. Even
though there are fewer trucks on the road, trucks use more fuel.
Utility trucks, for example, typically drive short distances to and
from a work site, but sit idle for hours while on site. A plug-in
hybrid truck would use less fuel getting to and from the site, and
could operate without any fuel while on site. Ultimately a plug-in
hybrid engine in a utility truck could use up to 60 percent less fuel.
Delivery trucks constantly stop and go. Hybrid engines excel at
this type of driving because the engine can essentially turn off during
short accelerations, while coasting, and when it is at a stop.
Developing these technologies will have benefits beyond fuel
savings. By making our trucks more efficient, we will make our goods
and services more affordable and become leaders in these new
technologies. Like America, Asia is faced with rising fuel costs. Their
trucking fleets, like ours, are currently powered by diesel. In Europe,
the price of diesel has risen to nearly $9 per gallon. This has lead to
a strike. Spanish trucks are currently holding a ``snail protest,''
essentially blockading the highways of Spain and Southern France by
inching along the road. Anti-protest demonstrators, fearing that food
and other good could become scarce, have rebelled violently by slashing
truck's tires and smashing their windshields. If American companies are
the first to develop and commercialize these products, not only can we
avoid a similar fate, we can export these technologies worldwide.
By helping American manufacturers research and commercialize new
technologies, we can strengthen our economy, reduce our dependence on
foreign oil, and lower our emissions. The legislation we will to
discuss today is a narrow example of how technology, not taxes, can
solve our energy crisis. The legislation would accelerate research of
plug-in hybrid technology in trucks by creating grants for
manufacturers to build, test, and sell plug-in hybrid utility and
delivery trucks. The Act would also encourage the Department of Energy
to expand its research in advanced energy storage technologies to
include heavy hybrid trucks as well as passenger vehicles. This bill
will put plug-in hybrid trucks on the road and help advance research
and accelerate commercialization of an important technology. I thank
the Chairman for holding this hearing and the witnesses for lending
their expertise to this effort.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Sensenbrenner.
I ask unanimous consent that all additional opening
statements submitted by the Committee Members be included in
the record.
Without objection, so ordered.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Costello follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Jerry F. Costello
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the Subcommittee giving attention to
this matter, it is particularly salient topic as gas and diesel prices
continue to rise every day.
Hybrid technology for passenger cars has received an increasing
amount of media and consumer attention recently as gas prices continue
to soar. As alternative fuel technologies advance for passenger
vehicles, I am pleased that this committee has turned its attention to
the status of renewable technologies for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
There are many benefits to hybrid technologies for heavy-duty
trucks, and variety of electric vehicles systems currently exist to
serve in various capacities. The cross-country shipping industry, the
military, utility companies and the construction industry can all
benefit from the expansion of hybrid technologies. A manufacturer in my
district in Southern Illinois, BNSF Railway and Vehicle Projects LLC,
are developing a switch locomotive powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
This technology can help these industries to not only to lower their
carbon footprints, but to also reduce their expenses by decreasing the
amount of gasoline for their fleets of medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
At this critical time when Congress will embark upon major climate
change legislation in the near future, we must ensure that funding is
dedicated to overcoming the existing challenges that face this
developing technology. Although the Department of Energy once funded a
program to develop and test early heavy hybrid technologies that
yielded encouraging results, the Bush Administration has since
terminated the funding.
As we will hear today, many utility companies currently use hybrid
trucks in their fleet today. If additional funding is invested, the
foundation of technology exists to launch hybrid technologies into the
mass-consumer level. With the proper resources, the United States can
take advantage of the opportunity to become a leader in hybrid
technology.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for my time; I look forward to hearing
from our witnesses today. I yield back.
Chairman Lampson. It is my pleasure to introduce our
witnesses this morning. Terry Penney is the Technology Manager
for Advanced Vehicle Technologies and the Renewable Fuels
Science and Technology Directorate at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. Mr. Eric Smith is the Chief Engineer for
Medium-Duty Hybrid Electric Powertrains for the Eaton
Corporation. Joseph Dalum is the Vice President of Dueco, and
Ms. Jill Egbert is the Manager of the Clean Air Transportation
Department at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PG&E. Mr.
Richard Parish is the Senior Program Manager of the Hybrid
Truck Users Forum at CALSTART.
You will each have five minutes for your spoken testimony.
Your written testimony will be included in the record for the
hearing. When you all complete your testimony, we will begin
with our rounds of questions. Each Member will have five
minutes to question the panel.
Mr. Penney, would you please begin.
STATEMENT OF MR. TERRY PENNEY, TECHNOLOGY MANAGER, ADVANCED
VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES, NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY,
GOLDEN, COLORADO
Mr. Penney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and other Members for
this opportunity to talk about the status and potential of
heavy hybrid trucks.
NREL has been working for the last 15 years with partners
in government, other national labs, and industry on both light
and heavy-duty hybrids. Despite the tremendous progress that
has been made, I believe that targeted R&D and purchase
incentives are still needed so these trucks can grow in volume
and play a prominent role in the marketplace.
Primarily, because of escalating fuel prices and tougher
emission standards, the cost in operating and producing heavy-
duty vehicles are rising at alarming rates. But there are
reasons to be optimistic. Despite the fact that more fuel is
being used by our light-duty car fleet, and we are working hard
on those vehicles too, we should not ignore advanced heavy
truck technologies across many applications that can also
significantly reduce their fuel use and subsequent emissions.
To frame the opportunity, first a little background. About
80 percent of all our goods are transported by truck, and last
year Class one through Class eight trucks consumed about 40
billion gallons of diesel fuel. The good news, hybrid trucks in
various forms from research prototypes to recent early
commercialization products have demonstrated the potential to
reduce fuel costs anywhere from a few percent to 50 to 60
percent.
Original equipment manufacturers, OEMs, and truck owners
are learning that their exact savings depend on three things:
the application, the duty cycle, and the way it is driven, and
of course, the distance it travels between stop and go.
For example, a typical delivery truck using a hybrid drive
system could save more than a thousand gallons of fuel per year
in comparison to a conventional truck. We believe almost every
truck application can benefit from hybrid drive of some sort
and other system improvements.
In addition to NREL's fleet testing, we have shown that
hybrids' overall operating and maintenance costs per mile can
be lower, too, in part because of fewer brake replacements and
less downtime, which help lower the cost differential between
conventional and hybrid drive trains.
Let us quickly review the potential for hybrids and or
perhaps plug-in hybrid truck applications by class, and if you
have my testimony in front of you, take a look at page two and
page three, where I describe the classes one through eight, and
you will see that classes one through four are your typical
minivans, utility vans, pickup trucks, five includes a shuttle
or city delivery and a bucket truck. Class six is a beverage or
a school bus. Class seven is refuse haulers, furniture
delivery, city transit buses, for example, and of course, Class
eight is dump trucks, cement trucks, and line haul semis.
Of course, military vehicles of all classes and sizes could
also benefit from hybridization, and several have already been
demonstrated as you are well aware.
I would like to draw your attention to the Class eight
trucks. They use, and this is on page three, you will notice
that they use as much diesel fuel as all other truck classes
combined, and until recently many believed there was little
hope in hybridizing line haul semis because they don't have
much stop and go, which is classic of the hybrid cycle.
However, even in this class, truck OEMs are finding
opportunities for fuel savings, even if only in the single
digits, because hybridization and other system improvements can
yield tremendous savings.
Today hybrid trucks are just starting to hit the market in
various service applications, most notably transit buses,
though for most applications it is tough, it is a tough sell.
This is probably because the cost premiums which result from
limited current production quantities and the need for further
improvement and establish the system reliability, economics,
and performance of various truck components.
Along with continuing credits and incentives, we need to
continue our R&D programs to improve the performance and
economics of these hybrid systems. The National Academy of
Sciences recently completed a detailed examination of the 21st
Century Truck Partnership Projects in this area, and that
report is expected to be delivered to the Department of Energy
in the next few weeks. I would encourage you to review its
findings.
There are approximately 18 million commercial vehicles on
the road, every kind of vehicle represents a different set of
demands, and these, in turn, determine vehicle size,
configuration, and each with a different duty cycle. As a
result, there are many unique powertrain solutions. A hybrid is
not just a hybrid. Today there are a handful of demonstration
hybrid trucks, many supported by federal and State cost-sharing
programs and are shedding life on both opportunities and
challenges, but production volumes are still very low and not
very high since system costs from drive trains through energy
storage systems to power electronics must be continued to be
reduced.
So with these considerations in mind, what needs to be
done? First, we must understand the unique duty cycle of the
hybrid vehicle. Then we need to understand how these new
powertrain topologies can boost miles per gallon or ton miles
delivered. We must take an overall systems approach to greater
efficiency. We also need to work on advanced combustion, heat
recovery, energy storage technology, especially batteries and
ultracapacitors, to improve the cost, performance, and life and
thermal abuse tolerance. Finally, we need to improve the
overall performance and costs associated with the power of
electronics module and electric drive motor, improving
performance, life, and reliability issues through advanced
thermal control.
Despite a limited DOE budget, the DOE Vehicle Technology
Program is actively engaged in pursuing many of these technical
areas. With DOE's support of NREL, we employ heavy hybrid
vehicle R&D testing, analysis to understand and solve many
technical issues and overcome these barriers while working with
OEMs and their suppliers.
For example, NREL's ReFUEL lab tests advanced fuels and
double, and heavy-duty engines for advanced heavy hybrid
vehicles and is home, unique testing, and measurement
equipment. With industry partners we also conduct field
evaluations of transit buses, trucks, idle-reduction
technologies. We design test plans, gather on-site data, and
publish our results. Education, getting the word out, helping
industry and fleet owners learn about what actually works and
what doesn't, has been a hallmark of our efforts.
The government's commitment to funding, finding solutions
for supporting advanced R&D and government industry
partnerships and by encouraging incentives is absolute key.
Thank you so much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Penney follows:]
Prepared Statement of Terry Penney
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for providing this opportunity to
talk about the status and potential of heavy-duty hybrid trucks in the
United States, and the research and development and policy support that
is needed to give them a more prominent role in the marketplace. As
groups like the Hybrid Truck Users Forum have recently noted, hybrid
trucks are right ``on the cusp'' of production in medium- and heavy-
duty commercial markets, and there is much we can do to tip the balance
in their favor, and in ours, in terms of achieving greater energy
security and lessening our reliance on imported fuels.
I am the Technology Manager for Advanced Vehicle Technologies in
the Renewable Fuels Science and Technology directorate at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. NREL is the U.S.
Department of Energy's primary laboratory for R&D in renewable energy
and energy efficiency technologies, and we are dedicated to helping the
Nation develop a full portfolio of technologies that can meet our
energy needs.
It is an honor to be here and to speak with you today. I want to
commend the Committee for its interest in exploring ways to reduce the
use of imported petroleum in the commercial sector, curb emissions
associated with burning fossil fuels for transportation, and increase
the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and truck fleets through
greater use of hybrid trucks.
Despite the progress we have achieved in fuel efficiency and
emissions reductions over recent years, the costs associated with
producing and operating our heavy-duty fleets have risen at alarming
rates. There exists today great potential from several heavy-duty
hybrid truck technologies to significantly reduce fuel consumption and
emissions. This should in turn improve the economic picture for U.S.
truck manufacturers, suppliers, fleets, and customers alike.
First, a little background. Approximately 80 percent of all the
goods transported in the United States today are moved by truck. In
all, the United States consumed about 140 billion gallons of gasoline
and about 40 billion gallons of diesel fuel for on-road transportation
in 2004, according to the Department of Energy. The U.S. now imports
more than 60 percent of the crude oil it uses. Retail gasoline and
diesel fuel prices have reached record highs in recent months, and the
retail price of diesel is well over $4 per gallon in most parts of the
Nation.
Given the current situation, we see considerable potential for
hybrid trucks to reduce fuel use, and thus costs, from five percent at
minimum, to as much as 50 percent to 60 percent at the high end.
Although exact reductions depend on the actual use of the truck--and
specifically, the way it's driven and the distance traveled between
stops--there is virtually no truck application that cannot benefit from
a hybrid drive train and related system improvements. Potential
applications include shuttle and school buses, military vehicles,
utility trucks, bucket trucks, beverage delivery and parcel delivery
trucks, refuse haulers, and some large Class 8 vehicles. Because trucks
generally use much more fuel per year than passenger vehicles, the
overall savings potential is very significant (see illustrations that
follow).
Plug-in hybrid trucks are on the horizon, as well. Plug-in hybrid
systems could benefit not only industry and the environment, they
perhaps could alter the nature of our utility grids, by providing
stored energy and a form of mobile distributed energy generation.
Before we can begin to realize these benefits widely, however, we must
address some remaining issues surrounding hybrid and plug-in hybrid
technologies.
Heavy-Duty Hybrid Trucks: Some Major Issues
An article in the April 27, 2008, edition of the New York Times
noted that commercial vehicles, particularly those making frequent
stops, should be the ``killer'' application for hybrid technologies,
because hybrids often work best in the kind of stop-and-go conditions
that delivery trucks and refuse haulers experience. Despite this
potential, there remain relatively few hybrid trucks on the road. The
primary reasons for this are the costs of the hybrid systems, the
limited commercial production to date, and the need to further improve
the economics and performance of energy storage, power electronics,
auxiliary loads and engine idling systems.
Light-duty hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), such as the Toyota
Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid, have gained public attention and some
market momentum in recent years. The added price of hybrid systems have
been somewhat offset by tax policies at the federal and the State
levels. It should be noted that light duty and heavy duty applications
can be much different in overall design and individual components. The
price premium for hybrid systems will be proportionally greater for
large commercial vehicles, because of their size and complexities.
These higher costs have slowed widespread acceptance of these
technologies, potential fuel savings notwithstanding.
Hybrid technologies improve fuel economy, primarily by turning off
the engine when idling, such as when coasting or at a stop. They use
batteries and electric motors for short accelerations, recharge the
batteries by recovering the energy used in braking, and use batteries
for auxiliary loads such as cabin cooling. The combustion engines in
HEVs can thus be smaller than those in conventional heavy vehicles. Our
fleet testing has shown how overall maintenance and operating costs per
mile can also be lower for hybrids, in part because of a decrease in
brake replacement costs.
The energy storage system is the most critical component for
hybridization and electric vehicles generally. The energy storage
system must be affordable, safe, and durable enough to last through the
major portion of the vehicle's life. Since vehicles operate at many
different climates and temperatures, energy storage systems must be
able to perform well at low temperatures and not quickly degrade at
high temperatures. Current commercial light duty and heavy duty
vehicles use Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, mostly from
Japanese manufacturers. Research and development on advanced energy
storage systems, such as lithium ion batteries and ultracapacitors, is
expanding, with hybrid electric vehicle systems being seen as a primary
use.
One major concern is the domestic production of batteries. Relying
on a few foreign sources of battery production (Japan, Korea, China,
and France) could increase costs and create new energy security
concerns. Domestic production of energy storage materials and U.S.-
based manufacturing of energy storage systems should be encouraged.
To increase market acceptance, energy storage systems must be
improved to reduce their weight and size. Enhanced power and storage
capacity are two other key goals of current R&D.
Improving a hybrid's power electronics system likewise is
essential. In some vehicle systems, the power electronics module costs
as much as the energy storage system. Boosting the performance and
cutting the cost of this system will lead to more favorable economics
for hybrid trucks.
Other issues include improving the efficiency and cost-
effectiveness of idling reduction technologies. For long-haul trucks
especially, there exists considerable opportunity to decrease the
effects of aerodynamic drag on the vehicle, primarily through use of
lightweight yet strong materials for the truck body, and development of
heavy-duty tires with low rolling resistance. Government and industry
groups working together through the 21st Century Truck Partnership (21
CT) have found that aerodynamic drag resistance, rolling resistance,
drive-train losses, and auxiliary load losses represent fully 40
percent of the total fuel energy used to move a heavy-duty vehicle.
Potential for Fuel Savings and Emission Reductions
Commercial vehicles running on diesel fuel can easily tally 75,000
miles in a year and, at $4-plus per gallon, pay $1,000 for just one
fill-up. Thus, a relatively modest increase in fuel efficiency--even
five percent--can have a major financial impact over time. Urban hybrid
trucks that make frequent stops and starts could see and up to 60
percent savings in fuels costs, depending on the way the truck is
driven and which hybrid system is used. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) estimates that a typical delivery truck using a hybrid
drive train system could save more than 1,000 gallons of fuel per year
in comparison to the fuel used by a similar conventional truck.
Energy recovery is a major benefit of hybridization. By converting
the vehicle's dynamic energy into electrical energy during braking,
less fuel is spent overall. The benefits of energy recovery will be
greatest for urban vehicles with repeated start-and-stop cycles. The
hybrid's control system effectively allows for separation of the engine
speed from the speed of auxiliary or ancillary devices, which offers
many advantages.
Electrification of a truck's auxiliary systems, like heating, air
conditioning and entertainment systems, allows the engine to be shut
down instead of idling. Again, potential fuel savings is significant,
as U.S. trucks idle an average of 1,830 hours per year.
In addition, modern long haul trucks are increasingly equipped with
automated gearboxes to control the engine speed and save fuel. This has
opened up the possibility of introducing ``Eco-roll.'' When no engine
power is needed, the gearbox goes into neutral and the engine runs on
idle, saving one percent to two percent of fuel. With electrification,
we can shut the engine off during coasting for an additional one
percent savings. Blending the use of gasoline engine and electric
systems allows for added fuel savings.
Another feature is the ability for low-speed moving of the vehicle
in electric-only mode. This is useful when going in and out of docks,
in harbors, in traffic jams, and so on. Considering projected increases
for traffic congestion, this feature could be even more valuable in the
future.
Future trucks need to be much more efficient than they are today.
Electrification of a truck enables waste heat recovery systems, in
which heat can be converted back to energy. Waste heat recovery systems
are estimated to reduce fuel consumption about six percent to eight
percent. Also, using an electric motor for torque assist can help
downspeed the engine, or downsize it, with both alternatives saving
fuel.
Fuel savings provide emission reductions as well. A recent study by
the CALSTART partnership evaluated the increases in fuel economy and
reductions in emissions obtained for a hybrid truck during four driving
cycles, compared to a conventional vehicle. The study found that in one
driving cycle of 70 miles, lasting 1.5 hours, the hybrid truck showed a
68 percent increase in fuel economy and a 58 percent reduction in
hydrocarbons, on a gallons-per-mile basis. A 50 percent decrease in
carbon monoxide, a 34 percent reduction in oxides of nitrogen and a 25
percent decrease in particulate matter were also reported. This is
significant, because to meet current and upcoming EPA regulations,
conventional trucks can lose as much as five to ten percent in fuel
economy. This is a result of the use of fuel by advanced emission
control systems and also from aggressive exhaust gas recovery
strategies for lower oxide of nitrogen emissions. Hybrid trucks offer
the potential to reduce the overall emission reduction requirements and
therefore reduce the accompanying emission control fuel economy
penalty.
Applications for Hybrid Technologies
Hybrid electric powertrains can be used in many, if not most, of
the Nation's approximately 18 million commercial vehicles. Stop-and-go
short-haul commercial vehicles are well-suited for systems that capture
braking energy, assist the engine during frequent accelerations, and
turn off the engine during coasting and stops. However, each kind of
commercial vehicle presents a different set of demands, which in turn
determine the vehicle size, configuration, and duty cycles. As a
result, each type is likely to have a different hybrid power-train
solution. For example, the duty cycle of a refuse hauler usually
consists of a long drive to a neighborhood, followed by repeated short
starts and stops and ending with a long drive to a waste site. Rather
than using batteries, this application might be ideal for
ultracapacitors--devices with enough power to move heavy loads over
short distances--while the engine is used to and from the waste site.
Hybrid transit buses are in use today and have demonstrated an
average 27 percent reduction in fuel use. Depending on the climate,
about 25 percent of the fuel used for transit buses is for heating and
cooling passengers. School buses can double the fuel economy with
hybridization, but today cost twice the $70,000 price tag of a
conventional bus. Postal delivery vehicles could benefit significantly
from plug-in operation if they could use the engine to reach a
neighborhood, then go to all-electric mode while making mailbox-to-
mailbox stops.
Many commercial vehicles idle for extended periods during package
deliveries, refuse collection, or to operate necessary equipment like
fans, extension buckets, backhoes, and related equipment. Altogether,
idling of commercial vehicles is estimated to consume more than two
billion gallons of fuel annually, while producing unwanted emissions.
Long-haul trucks, which operate at fairly constant speeds, have
challenges all their own. Long-haul trucks consume nearly 16 billion
gallons of diesel fuel annually, with opportunities for increasing fuel
economy in this truck class centering around development of more
efficient engines, reduction of aerodynamic drag, and use of low-
rolling-resistance tires. Biofuels may offer advantages as well.
Another promising method of cutting fuel consumption and emissions is
to use batteries, or plug in directly to electricity sources, at truck
stops. Off-board service to the truck can provide heating and cooling,
and electricity for lighting, entertainment and ancillary equipment
during mandatory driver rest periods. Such needs today are largely met
through idling of the truck's main engine.
In addition, long-haul trucks are being studied in order to
determine the benefits of some form of hybridization as well,
especially when their routes involve climbing and descending hills.
Such applications could ultimately deliver huge fuel savings, despite
their relatively small gains in efficiency.
Today's Market Issues
Promising developments are on the horizon for hybrid trucks, as
early prototypes and demonstration vehicles shed new light on both
opportunities and challenges.
For example, one delivery service is creating a fleet of 100 hybrid
vans that will offer an estimated 57 percent improvement in fuel
economy and significantly lower emissions. Other planned new delivery
vans can travel up to 20 miles on electricity alone. At a recent Hybrid
Truck Users Forum meeting, at least 15 truck manufacturers announced
plans to build or demonstrate new vehicles. They will be used in refuse
hauling, delivery, shuttle bus, school bus, bucket truck, heavy truck
applications and more.
Industry and deployment groups are finding that the applications
are quickly expanding for trucks built on a core hybrid chassis and
then customized for particular uses. However, because the overall
production volume of these trucks is still not high, they are available
only at premium prices. This means that system costs, for drive-trains
through energy storage systems to power electronics, must continue to
be reduced. Consequently, support for continued R&D and for policy
incentives remains vital.
Current Federal Programs and Policies
The Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program supports
the development of advanced combustion and engines design, durable and
affordable advanced batteries covering the full range of vehicle
applications, from start/stop to full-power hybrid electric, electric,
and fuel cell vehicles. NREL's extensive testing and analysis
capabilities are being used to understand and solve energy storage
thermal issues in both light- and heavy-duty hybrid applications.
The Department of Energy is also the lead federal agency in the
21st Century Truck Partnership, established to develop the heavy-duty
vehicles of the future. The partnership also includes the Departments
of Defense and Transportation, the EPA, as well as numerous industry
members. Groups such as CALSTART and the Hybrid Truck Users Forum are
also doing much to support and promote the greater use and availability
of hybrid commercial trucks.
Recently the National Academy of Sciences conducted a thorough
review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership program. Their final
report will be delivered to the Partnership in a few weeks. Their
conclusions and recommendation should be valuable to the Committee as
it evaluates the opportunities in heavy hybrids.
Along with automotive companies and their suppliers, NREL has been
developing and evaluating new technologies that reduce climate control
loads as well as analyzing and evaluating the thermal performance of
advanced lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors for energy storage.
NREL is conducting research to develop thermal control technologies
that enable high power density solutions for reducing the overall cost
of the power electronics system. Our research includes experimental and
numerical modeling focused on developing advanced thermal interface
materials, single-phase liquid, and two-phase jet and spray cooling
technology, surface enhancements for advanced heat exchangers, air
cooling, and thermal system integration.
NREL's Renewable Fuels and Lubricants (ReFUEL) Research Laboratory,
a test facility for advanced fuels in heavy-duty engines and advanced
heavy hybrid vehicles, houses unique testing and measurement equipment.
These include a heavy-duty vehicle chassis dynamometer for testing
hybrid trucks and buses, with a road load simulation capability from
8,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds; a heavy-duty engine transient test cell
(up to 400 hp) for fuels research and development; and an emissions
measurement capability sensitive enough to be compliant with federal
certification procedures required in 2007. NREL has performed both
electric and hydraulic hybrid vehicle test projects with manufacturers
including Eaton/International, Oshkosh, and Allison GM, for hybrid
buses, refuse haulers, and step vans.
In addition, DOE's Advanced Vehicle Testing activities benchmark
and validate the performance of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty
vehicles that feature one or more advanced technologies, including
internal combustion engines burning advanced fuels, such as 100 percent
hydrogen and hydrogen/compressed natural gas-blended fuels; hybrid
electric, pure electric, and hydraulic drive systems; advanced
batteries and engines; and advanced climate control, power electronic,
and other ancillary systems. The NREL team has conducted medium- and
heavy-duty vehicle evaluations, including evaluations of transit buses,
trucks, and idle reduction technologies. Tasks include identifying
fleets to evaluate, designing test plans, gathering on-site data,
preparing technical reports, and communicating the results. This work
is funded by the Department's Vehicle Technologies Program.
Numerous other partnership opportunities and incentives help
manufacturers to develop and fleets to purchase hybrid trucks in the
United States, at both the federal and the State level. The
Environmental Defense Fund has compiled an online resource of tax
credits and other incentives: www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID+1124
Summary
This testimony shows that there is no single hybrid truck design or
system that will meet all our commercial transportation needs.
Different solutions are needed both to improve the fuel economy of
heavy-duty vehicles and to reduce associated emissions. Specific
technologies and systems for achieving those objectives in heavy-duty
hybrid vehicles will differ, depending on the vehicle's application and
duty cycle.
As we move toward a future in which advanced vehicle technologies
play a larger role, we understand the corresponding need to create a
U.S. manufacturing base for heavy-duty hybrids, and their components.
Otherwise, we might be trading our dependence on imported petroleum for
a dependence on imported batteries and other components, a potentially
serious issue for U.S. competitiveness.
Thus, a portfolio of energy-saving and environmental solutions will
serve to meet our nation's economic, energy, and transportation
challenges as well as enhance our energy security. A strong federal R&D
and policy role is essential to development of these solutions.
Thank you.
Biography for Terry Penney
Terry Penney joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in
1979. Prior to joining NREL, he worked for Concentration, Heat and
Momentum (CHAM) a consulting group headed by Prof. Brain Spalding based
in London developing unique finite element computational codes for
multi-phase heat and mass transfer problems. He also worked Von Karmen
Facility at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in middle
Tennessee where he worked on the Space Shuttle program. At NREL he has
worked on Ocean Energy, Buildings research, Optical and Thermal Fluid
Science. More recently, he launched the Hybrid Vehicle program in 1992,
which grew into a $300M Partnership for New Generation Vehicles (PNGV)
between the government and GM, Ford and DaimlerChyrsler. Currently he
is NREL's Technology Manager for Advanced Vehicle and Fuel Technologies
responsible for both alternative fuels and advanced vehicles projects
in both light and heavy-duty hybrid platforms.
He has more than 50 technical publications to his credit, including
energy-related articles in Scientific American and the Encyclopedia
Britannica. Terry has worked on computational fluid dynamics problems
for a variety of applications and has pushed math-based analysis, which
has evolved simultaneous multi-physics based tools with optimization
including six-sigma, optimization and virtual proving ground. He has 35
years experience in testing and analysis in aerodynamics, heated mass
transfer components, and advanced thermodynamic cycles, including gas
turbines. He is an SAE member, a Baldridge team competition examiner,
National Science Bowl scientific judge and winner of the Van Morris
Award for performance. His undergraduate degree was from Purdue
University in Aeronautical Engineering and Engineering Science and his
graduate work was at the University of Tennessee in Mechanical
Engineering. He received the MRI President's Award in 1992 for
exceptional performance and the Van Morris award in 1996 for inspired
leadership and forging links to industry.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Penney.
Mr. Smith, you are recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MR. ERIC M. SMITH, CHIEF ENGINEER, MEDIUM DUTY
HYBRID ELECTRIC POWERTRAINS, EATON CORPORATION
Mr. Smith. Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member Inglis, thank
you for the opportunity to appear today. My name is Eric Smith,
and I am the Chief Engineer for Medium-Duty Hybrid Electric
Powertrains for the Eaton Corporation. Eaton is headquartered
in Cleveland, Ohio. We have over 79,000 employees worldwide,
including over 28,000 employees in more than 40 states.
A little bit of background on the Eaton hybrid power
system. Following years of successful development and extensive
real-world testing, Eaton is currently offering production
hybrid electric products for commercial vehicle applications,
and our first hybrid hydraulic products will enter the market
later this year. Eaton's hybrid electric power system is
currently in production option in North America with Peterbilt,
Kenworth, International, and Freightliner, and we are also
working with leading European manufacturers such as DAF Trucks
and Daimler Trucks.
Eaton was part of the U.S. Department of Commerce Clean
Energy Trade Mission to China, and we are working currently to
place over 200 hybrid electric buses in Guangzhou, China. Those
should all be placed by the end of 2008.
The design and development effort for all of this work is
happening at Eaton facilities in Michigan and Minnesota, and
our hybrid systems are produced currently in Indiana and Iowa.
Eaton has invested in three separate hybrid power solutions
for commercial vehicles. First, our hybrid electric vehicle.
Eaton's production hybrid electric power system can provide
significant fuel savings and reduce vehicle emissions. Hybrid
power is particularly appealing in Classes five through eight
vehicles. These are large trucks with weights exceeding 16,000
pounds, such as pick-up and delivery and utility trucks.
And as you can see on my graph that is displayed here, the
fuel savings possible on the range of trucks we are discussing
is not only from improved fuel economy while driving but also
from reduction in engine idle or engine off operation at work
sites.
Additionally, Eaton's hybrid electric power system is the
only certified by the IRS for the medium- and heavy-duty hybrid
tax credit that was enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
I would like to speak just briefly on the hybrid hydraulic
vehicles. In addition to hybrid electrics that I have
mentioned, Eaton is also working on development of hybrid
hydraulic vehicles for applications such as refuse trucks and
pick-up and delivery vehicles. We are working with the EPA and
the Army to research and develop these vehicles.
Finally, a few comments on plug-in hybrid vehicles. In
addition to the hybrid electric and hybrid hydraulic vehicles,
plug-in hybrid technology in the early stages of development
and demonstration for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Eaton is
pursuing a number of development and demonstration projects
directly and with partners such as the Department of Energy.
With this energy the focus must not be only on batteries but
also on chargers and electrication of the accessories that will
be critical to the success of this technology.
A few comments on battery system development challenges.
The success of the hybrid market is tied to the development and
commercialization of state-of-the-art lithium ion batteries.
The develop, manufacturing, and assembly methodologies needed
to allow for the wide range of vehicle sizes and unique
configurations needed in the world of, I am sorry. The wide
range of vehicle size and the unique configurations needed in
the world of medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Remember, the benefits of hybridization apply equally to
cars and trucks, although implementation and use of commercial
trucks has unique challenges because of the size of the
systems, the operating environments, and the duty cycles.
Finally, the hybrid truck market and supporting
technologies are still in the early stages of commercialization
and long-term leadership will be hotly contested worldwide.
U.S.-based companies are currently positioned to be world
leaders in development and manufacture of hybrid systems, and
we can provide the same benefits and solution for truck fleets
around the globe, though we must keep pushing our research
efforts forward.
As the Committee debates funding research and development
for hybrid vehicles, we would urge that electric hybrids,
hybrid hybrids, I am sorry, hydraulic hybrids, and plug-in
hybrid systems for commercial vehicles be included in any such
programs.
Once again, thank you for this opportunity to appear today
in front of this committee as a representative of Eaton
Corporation.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eric M. Smith
Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member Inglis, thank you for the
opportunity to appear today. My name is Eric Smith and I am the Chief
Engineer for Medium Duty Hybrid Electric Powertrains for the Eaton
Corporation. Eaton is a diversified industrial manufacturer
headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. We have over 79,000 employees
worldwide, including over 28,000 employees in over 100 locations in
over 40 states. Our 2007 sales were over $13 billion, and we sold
products in more than 125 countries.
Eaton has five main business groups that manufacture highly-
engineered components:
Hydraulics, which manufactures hydraulic components,
hoses and connectors;
Aerospace, which manufactures fuel systems, motion
control systems, propulsion sub-systems and cockpit interface
and circuit protection applications for commercial and military
programs;
Electrical, which manufactures residential and
commercial power distribution equipment;
Automotive, which manufactures engine valves, lifters
and superchargers; and
Truck, which manufactures transmissions and hybrid
systems for heavy- and medium-duty trucks.
Eaton Hybrid Truck Power Systems
Following years of successful development and extensive real-world
testing, Eaton has emerged as a market leader in the development and
production of hybrid power systems for commercial vehicle fleets. Eaton
is currently offering hybrid electric products for commercial vehicles
applications and our hybrid hydraulic products will enter the market
this year. Our hybrid power systems are being tested and used in the
United States by companies such as FedEx, UPS, Coca-Cola and Pepsi
Cola. Eaton's diesel-electric hybrid power system is currently
engineered as a production option in North America for Peterbilt,
Kenworth, International and Freightliner and we are working with
leading European manufacturers like DAF Trucks and Daimler Trucks for
potential introduction in Europe.
Eaton has invested in three separate hybrid power solutions for
commercial vehicles:
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)
Hybrid Hydraulic Vehicles (HHV)
Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV)
Eaton believes that all of these technologies have a place in the
truck market. We will continue to develop these technologies to create
a portfolio of hybrid power systems for a wide variety of vehicles and
applications.
Eaton's hybrid power systems can provide significant fuel savings
and reduce vehicle emissions. Hybrid power is particularly appealing
for Class 5/6 vehicles (Pickup and Delivery), Class 7 vehicles
(Utility), and Class 8 vehicles (Over the Road Trucks)--all large
trucks with weights exceeding 16,000 pounds, especially in stop-and-go
applications.
Hybrid power provides further savings through engine-off operations
and power take-off operations at a work site. Whatever the application,
hybrid power can provide significant fuel savings, increased
functionality, quieter operation, and improved performance.
Currently, the U.S. stands poised to lead the world in hybrid power
for trucks. Our Hybrid Drive Systems are being developed and engineered
at our facilities in Michigan and Minnesota and then our systems are
produced in Indiana and Iowa.
Eaton is the first Tier One Supplier of Truck components to produce
for sale HEV systems to the Truck OEM market. We are the only hybrid
power system to be certified by the IRS for the medium- and heavy-duty
hybrid tax credit that was enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Our medium-duty hybrid electric vehicles are achieving between 20
percent and 70 percent fuel economy gains depending upon the truck
application.
Early this year, Eaton Corporation agreed to sell 207 diesel-
electric hybrid power systems to Guangzhou Armada Development
Corporation to be installed in new buses for operation in the city of
Guangzhou, China. This purchase adds to the initial sales of 30 Eaton
hybrid-powered buses announced in January as part of the U.S.
Department of Commerce Clean Energy Trade Mission to China.
It is Eaton's largest single hybrid power systems order to date.
Additionally, Eaton Corporation recently received orders from United
Parcel Service for 200 units while Coca Cola Enterprises ordered 120
hybrid units. These sales make Eaton Corporation the world leader in
hybrid power sales in the commercial truck market.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)
To produce Eaton's patented parallel hybrid electric system; we
couple a vehicle's diesel engine with an electric motor/generator,
power electronics and batteries.
Hybrid electric systems have much higher energy storage capacity,
and generally have low to moderate power capabilities compared to
hydraulic hybrids. Hybrid electric systems can provide engine off PTO
capability for applications needing work site hydraulic operations and
an auxiliary electric power source from the vehicle. This is valuable
in vehicles whose workday takes them off the highway and to a job site,
where the truck's power is used to operate other tools and equipment.
Hybrid electric vehicles also require an unprecedented level of
integration and partnership between truck makers, engine manufacturers
and suppliers of the drivetrain and major electrical components.
Eaton's strategy includes early and significant collaboration with
truck OEMs, engine manufacturers and key technology and component
suppliers.
The hybrid electric system maintains conventional drivetrain
architecture--such as Eaton's Fuller UltraShift automated
transmissions--while adding the ability to augment engine torque with
electrical torque. The system recovers energy normally lost during
braking and stores the energy in batteries. When electric torque is
blended with engine torque, the stored energy is used to improve fuel
economy and vehicle performance for a given speed or used to operate
the vehicle with electric power only.
This integrated system delivers a number of benefits, including:
Up to 60 percent reduction in fuel consumption
Up to 87 percent reduction in idle times
Reduced maintenance and lower life cycle costs
Reduced emissions
Quieter operations and better acceleration
The system can also be designed to provide energy for use during
engine-off work site operations. As an additional benefit of the
parallel architecture, should the hybrid system go off-line,
conventional engine-powered operation continues.
Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHV)--Parallel and Series
In a parallel hybrid hydraulic system, the conventional vehicle
powertrain is supplemented by the addition of the hydraulic system. The
system is best suited for vehicles that operate in stop-and-go duty
cycles, including refuse vehicles, pickup and delivery vehicles, and
buses, where fuel economy improvements between 20 percent and 30
percent are typical. Eaton plans to commercialize its parallel hybrid
hydraulic system in refuse trucks in 2008. Other applications will soon
follow.
In a series hybrid hydraulic system, the conventional vehicle
driveline is replaced by the hybrid system. The conventional
transmission and driveline are replaced by the hybrid hydraulic
powertrain and energy is transferred from the engine to the drive
wheels through fluid power. The system is suited to a broader number of
applications than parallel hydraulic hybrids, though--as with all
hybrids--benefits will be highest in vehicles that operate in stop-and-
go duty cycles.
Eaton is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
under a Cooperative Research and Development agreement, to develop a
series hydraulic hybrid power system that combines a high-efficiency
diesel engine and a unique hydraulic propulsion system to replace the
conventional drivetrain and transmission.
The series hybrid engine continually operates at its ``sweet spot''
of fuel consumption facilitated by the continuously variable
transmission (CVT) functionality of the series hybrid system and by
regenerative braking. The vehicle uses hydraulic pump/motors and
hydraulic storage tanks to recover and store energy, similar to what is
done with electric motors and batteries in hybrid electric vehicles.
These vehicles can achieve a fuel economy improvement between 50
and 70 percent by:
braking energy that normally is wasted is recovered
and reused;
the engine is operated more efficiently; and
the engine can be shut off when not needed, such as
when stopped or decelerating.
Currently, Eaton is engaged in a program supported by the U.S. Army
to militarize this drive train to provide power and fuel efficiency to
military vehicle drive trains.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
Eaton is currently working with the Electric Power and Research
Institute (EPRI) to develop commercial PHEV trucks. However, plug-in
Hybrid technology is in the very early stages of development for heavy
duty trucks.
PHEV vehicles require a notably higher energy storage capability
then current medium or light duty production systems in order to
maximize benefits of plug in capability. Higher energy storage battery
systems facilitate the on vehicle energy storage necessary to move
towards full electric vehicle capability (critical for zero emission
and noise restriction areas). This would also require work on
electrifying the accessories inside the vehicle (e.g., steering,
brakes, HVAC).
In addition, we are working with members of the Hybrid Truck Users
Forum (HTUF) such as Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and
Electric, and Florida Power and Light to develop a PHEV for use in
utility truck applications. We are also working with Navistar on a
proposal for a Department of Energy funded PHEV truck project.
Needed Enabling Technologies
Successful deployment of hybrid vehicles is dependent on the
availability of high power output and high energy storage devices.
Today, the Lithium Ion battery represents the most promising technology
for hybrid electric vehicles. However, these types of batteries
significantly increase the complexity and cost of the system.
Additionally, robust battery management systems are needed to ensure
safe and reliable operation.
Managing the charge and discharge process within the battery pack
to optimize service life and reliability, as well as monitoring,
predicting, diagnosing and mitigating potentially unsafe conditions,
are challenges that must be overcome. The use of high voltage DC
batteries (400-600 volts) in vehicles poses a set of challenges not
normally seen on commercial vehicles.
For Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles, the Accumulator provides the same
energy storage function as a battery. Today's accumulator technology is
adequate for certain applications. But to achieve widespread adoption
of hybrids, an increase in the energy storage capacity is needed.
Challenges and Opportunities
The U.S. is far behind in the development and commercialization of
state-of-the-art, ``plug and play'' lithium ion battery systems for HEV
and PHEV applications that are affordable, reliable and safe. The
assembly and manufacturing methodologies need to be modular and
flexible, in order to cater to a range of vehicle size and
configuration needed in the world of medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Unfortunately, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for trucks.
The benefits of hybridization apply equally to cars and trucks,
although implementation and use in commercial trucks is significantly
more complex. For example, the battery packs are larger, often must be
located on the exterior of trucks (exposed to the elements) and the
duty cycles are much more demanding, since commercial vehicles are
typically driven for 12-16 hours a day versus cars that are normally
used for commuting and hence driven only a few hours a day.
Phasing in the next generation lithium ion batteries to make PHEVs
a reality will require significantly more effort. Any significant
effort towards accelerating the market appeal and penetration of hybrid
vehicles in the U.S. by developing state-of-the-art technologies and
systems will provide huge impetus to the endeavor towards energy
conservation and pollution reduction.
A major threat to the widespread adoption of hybrid vehicles
(particularly the PHEVs) is the high cost of implementation of the
fairly large battery systems needed, as well as the reliability and
life of the energy storage systems. Developing a flexible and robust
system to leverage multiple cell suppliers and reach the necessary
economies of scale will go a long way toward reducing implementation
costs. (Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni, Center for Automotive Research, The Ohio
State University)
Conclusion
The hybrid truck market is in its infancy and the jury is still out
as to who will lead the world in this space. Investment in Research and
Development will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help truck
fleets big and small mitigate the cost of fuel and reduce emission here
at home. In fact, these are the types of technologies that can lead to
a leadership position for the United States in the manufacture of
hybrid truck technologies. We can provide these same benefits and
solutions to truck fleets around the globe.
As the Committee debates funding research and development for
hybrid vehicles, we would urge that electric hybrid, hydraulic hybrid,
and plug-in hybrid systems be included in such a program. Battery and
accumulator technologies need to be developed specifically for
commercial vehicles because their size, weight, duty cycle and energy
storage requirement are unique from those storage systems being
developed for passenger vehicles. It only makes sense to include
commercial trucks in the mix. With proper investment, the United States
could lead the world in these new and exciting technologies.
Biography for Eric M. Smith
Employment History
2005 to Current:
Eaton Corporation in the Truck Group, current role Chief
Engineer--Hybrid Medium Duty Product Engineering. Responsible
for development and bring to production the medium duty
electric hybrid system. Current in post launch phase of the
program.
2001-2005:
Ballard Power Systems--Powertrain Engineering Manager
responsible for design and development of the electric
powertrain used in the Ford and Daimler pre-production fuel
cell vehicles.
1989-2001:
Ford Motor Company--Various positions in manufacturing,
testing and product development all within the Transmission
group.
Education
Bachelor of Science--Metallurgical Engineering, Michigan
Technological University
Personal
Have lived the majority of my life in Michigan, currently living in
Kalamazoo, MI with wife and three daughters.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you very much, Mr. Smith.
Mr. Dalum, you are recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MR. JOSEPH T. DALUM, VICE PRESIDENT, DUECO
Mr. Dalum. Good morning, Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member
Inglis, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank
you for inviting me here today. Also, thank you for the
opportunity to offer the views of Dueco and for soliciting the
views of others on hybrid technologies for medium- to heavy-
duty commercial trucks.
My name is Joe Dalum, and I am Vice President of Dueco.
Dueco, headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is one of the
largest final stage manufacturers of utility trucks in the
country. We produce aerial devices, digger derricks, and cranes
that are sold to electric utilities for the maintenance of
their transmission and distribution power lines. Dueco also
provides equipment and services for the telecommunications
market, other industries, and the government.
In 2006, Dueco began to assess alternative hybrid vehicle
technologies. Those activities led to a collaborative
development program between Dueco and Odyne Corporation. Odyne
is a developer of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrains
for Class six, seven, and eight vehicles. Our efforts resulted
in the introduction of the utility industry's first pre-
production plug-in hybrid medium-duty truck in the fall of
2007.
While you have already received my more extensive written
testimony, this morning I will focus on our development of a
plug-in hybrid medium-duty truck. There are several factors
that favor the development and deployment of hybrid and plug-in
hybrid trucks: rising fuel prices, increased pressure for
environmentally-friendly and green operations with lower carbon
emissions, a national priority to reduce foreign oil
dependency, and increased maintenance costs.
In our company's opinion, plug-in hybrid technology for
medium- and heavy-duty trucks is particularly well suited to
addressing those challenges. In my written testimony you will
find a more detailed explanation of the factors that support
that position.
I will now discuss our experience with the plug-in medium-
duty truck. A photo of a plug-in medium, heavy-duty truck is
shown on the screen. This type of truck is typically used by
utilities for the maintenance and installation of power lines.
It is unique in that a very large battery system of
approximately 35 kilowatt hours, more than 15 times larger than
one used in a conventional hybrid, provides power to help
propel the vehicle, along with the diesel engine.
The battery system also provides power for equipment on and
off the truck. When the truck returns to the garage,
domestically-generated grid power recharges the battery system,
offsetting the need for petroleum. The size of the battery
system and the ability to recharge using grid power
differentiates the plug-in hybrid system from a conventional
hybrid. Using the large grid rechargeable battery system
reduces fuel consumption and emissions during driving and
provides for an all-electric stationary mode. The system
completely eliminates fuel consumption and emissions at the job
site for a typical day, while also reducing noise.
Fuel savings and corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions are dependent upon the application. The current
vehicle reduces fuel consumption by an estimated 1,400 gallons
of fuel per vehicle per year for a typical utility application.
I am confident additional research can further improve fuel
savings.
In my opinion there will be a time in the future when
affordable plug-in hybrid systems for a medium or heavy-duty
truck provides 100 percent electrical operation for a limited
driving range, completely eliminating fuel consumption and
reducing emissions when recharged by clean electricity produced
through renewable or non-emitting domestic energy sources.
There are several technical hurdles to the deployment of
plug-in hybrid trucks. Battery system costs and performance
challenges, non-optimal powertrain architecture, questions
about utility infrastructure for charging large fleets of
trucks with high capacity battery systems, and a lack of
information about specific medium- and heavy-duty applications
need to be overcome.
Dueco encourages the Federal Government to develop programs
that help to specifically fund research into the development of
plug-in hybrid systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks used
in specific applications that are open to final-stage
manufacturers and other entities. Assistance with testing,
certification, the creation of tax incentives for customers,
and modification of government purchasing policies to favor the
acquisition of more fuel-efficient trucks using plug-in hybrid
technology can also accelerate development and deployment.
Commercial fleets consume large amounts of fuel; developing
more efficient trucks that utilize domestically-sourced power
from the Nation's energy grid would have several benefits. The
development of this technology in the United States would
provide opportunities for job creation, export opportunities,
reduce the cost of businesses competing in a global market,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and emissions of other
pollutants, reduce dependency on foreign oil, reduce noise
within our cities, and potentially improve productivity for
certain applications, such as crews who could perform work at
night in residential areas.
This is potentially a historic opportunity to develop the
technology needed for the electrification of medium- and heavy-
duty trucks. I would ask for your support of the proposed
legislation that would help to accelerate research into plug-in
hybrid technology for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and
encourage the development of partnerships between manufacturers
and utilities.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Dalum follows:]
Prepared Statement of Joseph T. Dalum
Introduction
Good morning Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member, Inglis and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee on Science and Technology.
Thank you for inviting me here today. Also thank you for the
opportunity to offer the views of DUECO and for soliciting the views of
others on hybrid technologies for medium to heavy duty commercial
trucks.
My name is Joe Dalum, and I am Vice President of DUECO.
Headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, DUECO is one of the largest final
stage manufactures of utility trucks in the country, with facilities
also located in South Dakota, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio and
Pennsylvania. We produce aerial devices, digger derricks and cranes
that are sold to electric utilities for the maintenance of their
transmission and distribution power lines in a 15-state region and are
also used by utilities throughout the country through UELC, our rental
and leasing company, with direct facilities in Florida, Texas and
California. DUECO also provides equipment and services for the
telecommunications, contractor, electric cooperative, municipality, gas
utility and tree care markets.
In 2006, DUECO began to assess alternative hybrid vehicle
technologies. Those activities lead to a collaborative development
program between DUECO and Odyne Corporation. Odyne Corporation is a
developer of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) power trains for
Class 6, 7 and 8 vehicles. Our efforts resulted in the introduction of
the utility industry's first commercial plug-in hybrid medium duty
truck in the Fall of 2007.
Background
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks, used by the utility industry are
typically built in multiple stages. During the first stage an original
equipment manufacturer builds an incomplete vehicle, commonly known as
a chassis. The vehicle is then often completed by a final stage
manufacturer. Final stage manufacturers typically evaluate the intended
application of the vehicle, perform engineering analysis, and then
install an appropriate body, equipment and interface components with
chassis systems in a manufacturing operation.
Hybrid drive systems may be installed by an original equipment
manufacturer or by another entity during an intermediate or final stage
of manufacturing process. DUECO installs the plug-in hybrid drive
system and interfaces the system with the chassis and installed
equipment during the latter stage of manufacturing.
Hybrid drive systems may be installed only on newly manufactured
truck chassis or some designs may facilitate either an installation on
a new chassis or a retro-fit on an existing chassis for certain
applications. The plug-in hybrid system developed by DUECO and Odyne
can be either installed during the manufacturing process of a new truck
or it can be installed as a retro-fit on an existing chassis. Retro-fit
applications must be carefully engineered, installation of a system on
an existing truck requires sufficient payload, packaging space and
specific chassis data communications interfaces.
Trucks used by utilities typically drive to a job site and then
conduct stationary operations. In a conventional truck, the diesel or
gas powered engine provides the sole source of propulsion for the
vehicle and is also used to power truck mounted equipment, such as an
aerial device, digger derrick, crane, compressor, winch or other
equipment. While at the job site, the vehicle may idle for many hours
to provide power for the equipment and provide heat or air conditioning
in the cab. A medium duty truck may average approximately eight mpg
while being driven and while at idle will typically consume
approximately one gallon per hour.
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid vehicle with
batteries that can be recharged by plugging into our nation's electric
power grid. It shares the characteristics of both conventional hybrid
electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles, having an internal
combustion engine and batteries for power.
Hybrid systems used in larger trucks, greater than Class 4, have
typically utilized two basic design configurations--a series design or
a parallel design.
Series design configurations typically use an internal combustion
engine (heat engine) with a generator to produce electricity for both
the battery pack and the electric motor. There is typically no direct
mechanical power connection between the internal combustion engine and
the wheels in an electric series design. Series design hybrids often
have the benefit of having a no-idle system, include an engine-driven
generator that enables optimum engine performance, typically lack a
transmission (on some models), and accommodate a variety of options for
mounting the engine and other components. However, series design
hybrids also generally include a larger, heavier battery; have a
greater demand on the engine to maintain the battery charge; and
include inefficiencies due to the multiple energy conversions.
Parallel design configurations have a direct mechanical connection
between the internal combustion engine and the wheels in addition to an
electric or hydraulic motor to drive the wheels. Parallel design
hybrids have the benefit of being capable of increased power due to
simultaneous use of the engine and electric motor or hydraulic motor,
having a smaller engine with improved fuel economy while avoiding
compromised acceleration power, and increasing efficiency by having
minimal reduction or conversion or power when the internal combustion
engine is directly coupled to the driveshaft, typically through a
transmission. However, parallel design hybrids typically lack a no-idle
system and may have non-optimal engine operation (e.g., low rpm or high
transient loads) under certain circumstances. Existing systems on
trucks of Class 4 or higher have traditionally not had a system that
combines the benefits of a series system and a parallel system.
DUECO has produced plug-in hybrid electric trucks, hybrid electric
trucks and conventionally powered trucks for the utility industry.
The need for plug-in hybrid and conventional hybrid trucks:
There are several factors that favor the development and use of
hybrid and plug-in hybrid trucks:
Rising fuel prices.
Increased pressure for environmentally friendly and
green operations with lower carbon emissions.
A national priority to reduce foreign oil dependency.
Increased maintenance costs.
Differences between plug-in hybrid electric trucks and hybrid electric
trucks:
The following compares some of the benefits of a plug-in hybrid to
that of a conventional hybrid. The primary difference between the plug-
in hybrid and the conventional hybrid is the size of the battery system
and the ability to recharge the battery system from the domestic power
grid.
While a plug-in hybrid truck offers some of the same benefits as a
conventional hybrid truck, plug-in hybrids offer advantages in several
areas:
Reduced fuel consumption
A plug-in hybrid system has a large battery
system that operates in a charge depleting mode. The
energy from the battery is typically used to help
propel the vehicle and operate equipment. Energy
required to recharge the battery is ideally provided by
the power grid or from regenerative braking, displacing
the use of petroleum. A vehicle with a large enough
battery system could potentially eliminate fuel
consumption by operating in an all electric driving
mode for a limited distance and operating in an all
electric stationary mode. All electric trucks are
available in Europe, while there are disadvantages such
as limited range; electric trucks demonstrate that the
technology is available for emission free operation.
A conventional hybrid typically uses power
from the diesel and gas engine to recharge the battery
or may be recharged from regenerative braking. Since
much of the energy in the battery system results from
recharging through the engine, fuel consumption may be
higher.
Reduced emissions, potentially eliminates emissions
at the job site.
A plug-in hybrid typically reduces fuel
consumption and corresponding CO2 emissions
during urban driving and has a large battery system
that can allow the engine to stay off the entire day at
the job site. The large battery system is used to power
truck mounted equipment such as an aerial device or
electrically powered air conditioning system.
Electricity to recharge the battery system may be
generated by sources with lower emissions; some
utilities generate a sizable portion of power from non-
emitting sources. As an example, PG&E generates over 50
percent of their energy from renewable sources.
A conventional hybrid due to a smaller
battery system often may need to restart the engine at
the job site to recharge the battery and may not have
enough energy in the battery system to power large
loads, such as an electrically driven air conditioner,
with the engine off. When the engine is started
periodically for short durations in the field to
recharge the smaller battery system, emission systems
may not be at optimal effectiveness, potentially
resulting in greater emissions of harmful pollutants.
Lower noise levels during stationary operations.
The engine typically stays off with a plug-in
hybrid, resulting in lower noise levels. A conventional
hybrid may require the engine to restart to charge the
batteries.
Uses low cost, domestically produced energy from the
Nation's electric grid.
Off-sets fuel consumption by displacing
petroleum with electricity. Ability to recharge at off-
peak hours.
Maintains a charge or is recharged at any time with
conventional engine.
While a plug-in hybrid is typically designed
to deplete the charge in the battery system and
recharge through the grid, the system can be designed
to maintain a minimum state of charge in the battery
system by recharging through the engine if needed. This
allows extended operations in the field during
situations where it is impossible to recharge through
the grid. In other words, while it is desirable to
recharge a plug-in hybrid through the grid, it is not
necessary to plug it in. Charging using the engine is
similar to how a conventional hybrid recharges.
Improved vehicle acceleration.
Electric motors provide additional power and
torque to the drive train of the truck. The larger
battery system of a plug-in hybrid provides more energy
for extended use of the electric motor. The smaller
battery system of a conventional hybrid may become
depleted more quickly, reducing available power when
needed for climbing grades or other demanding
situations.
Standby power capability: option for 9 kW or more
exportable power for applications such as job site power tools,
lighting and temporary restoration of power to facilities.
The large battery system of a plug-in hybrid
offers the ability to export power from the vehicle for
external uses. In the more distant future it may be
possible to export power from the vehicle to the grid
(Vehicle to Grid, or V2G) to reduce peak loads on grid
generation systems. The smaller battery system in a
conventional hybrid typically does not have enough
energy for export without turning on the engine to
provide additional power.
Reduced maintenance costs.
Utility vehicles often are serviced based
upon hours of engine operation. A plug-in hybrid truck
has reduced hours of engine operation, potentially
extending maintenance intervals.
Benefits of Electricity as a Fuel:
A plug-in hybrid electric truck uses electricity to supplement or
replace the use of fossil fuels. There are several benefits to using
electricity as a fuel.
Feed Stock diversity promotes stability
Hydro, Wind, Bio-Mass, Natural Gas, Coal, Nuclear
A portion of our nation's existing generation fuel
mix is currently CO2 free.
Example: approximately 56 percent of PG&E's energy
portfolio is CO2 free
Recent and ongoing legislation promotes cleaner
generation mix over time
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation
enacted in 21 states
Low fuel cost and minimal additional infrastructure
required
Preferential rates for off-peak consumption
Projected future renewable energy sources tend to be
an off-peak energy resource
Wind can often produce more energy at night
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Truck, bucket truck application:
A plug-in hybrid electric medium duty bucket truck is shown above.
This type of truck is typically used by utilities of maintenance and
installation of power lines. The truck has many of the benefits listed
previously. Specifically this vehicle has the following features:
Hybrid launch assist and regenerative braking
All Electric Operation at a job site for a typical
day
35 kWh Energy storage (note: a traditional hybrid may
have two kWh of energy storage)
Electrically powered hydraulic system moves
Aerial lift & outriggers, this function is also known
as E-PTO
Electrically powered air conditioning
110/220VAC Electric shore power nine kW, more
optional
Interfaces with an Allison transmission, the system
may also interface with other transmissions (testing with other
transmissions has not been completed)
Modular design with standard components
Enhanced reliability with redundant power for
critical operations
Advanced diagnostics & data acquisition available,
ability to monitor vehicle via satellite
Very versatile design:
Basic system design can be used on for a
variety of truck weight Classes: 5, 6, 7, 8 (19,500 - >
33,000 GVWR). Testing of the system on Class 5 and
Class 7 trucks has begun, testing on Class 6 and Class
8 is planned within the next year.
Basic design can be used on a variety of
chassis configurations: 2x4, 4x4, tandem. Testing has
begun on the two-wheel drive application, testing on
the tandem will begin within the next year. Testing on
the 4x4 has not been scheduled.
System should be able to interface with
multiple power trains from multiple chassis
manufacturers. Testing has begun on GMC and
International units and on chassis with gas and diesel
engines.
Ability to tow trailer.
No special diagnostic software.
Enhances stability of vehicle for aerial device
applications.
Utilities can power their fleet with their own fuel:
Electricity
Fuel savings are dependent upon the application. The current
vehicle reduces fuel consumption during driving in urban areas by
approximately 10-15 percent. The vehicle will typically save 100
percent of fuel consumption during stationary operations at a job site,
resulting in approximately one gallon per hour reduction. There is
little to no fuel savings during higher speed highway driving.
Anticipated fuel savings for a plug-in hybrid in comparison to a
conventional truck depend upon many factors such as the type of system
architecture, size of battery and field application. The following is
an estimate for two types of plug-in systems, one with parallel system
architecture and one with series system architecture. The sample
application is a 20-mile drive, a five-hour idling period, and an
additional 20-mile drive.
Parallel system with plug-in battery system compared to a
conventional truck:
Stated Assumptions:
Conventional chassis: approximately eight mpg fuel efficiency
during driving and approximately one gallon per hour fuel
consumption during idle.
Parallel system with plug-in: approximately 12 percent
decrease in fuel consumption for a plug-in hybrid during
driving and 0 gallons per hour fuel consumption during idle.
Estimated fuel savings: 56 percent reduction in fuel
consumption, or approximately 1,400 gallons of fuel saved per
year, based upon 250 work days per year.
Series system with plug-in battery system compared to a
conventional truck:
Stated Assumptions:
Conventional chassis: approximately eight mpg fuel efficiency
during driving and approximately one gallon per hour fuel
consumption during idle.
Series system with plug-in: 50 percent decrease in fuel
consumption for a plug-in hybrid during driving and 0 gallons
per hour fuel consumption during idle.
Estimated fuel savings: 75 percent reduction in fuel
consumption, or approximately 1,875 gallons of fuel saved per
year, based upon 250 work days per year.
Due to the large amount of savings, medium- and heavy-duty trucks
with plug-in hybrid technology may be able to reach an attractive
return-on-investment more quickly than other vehicles.
A diagram of a plug-in hybrid electric system for a truck is shown
below. Electrical energy is used to increase efficiency while driving
through hybrid launch assist and regenerative braking. Electrical
energy also powers equipment loads at a job site, potentially
eliminating the need to run the engine.
Major technical hurdles for deployment of plug-in hybrid trucks:
There are several technical hurdles for the deployment of plug-in
hybrid trucks.
Battery system technology:
Existing battery technology either tends to offer battery systems
that are relatively low cost, but heavy, large and of limited life or
are relatively expensive, but much lighter, smaller and with
potentially longer life. While certain applications of trucks may be
able to carry lower cost, heavier battery systems, it is generally
desirable to minimize battery system weight, size and cost. Development
of cost effective larger advanced battery systems, potentially with
energy storage in excess of 35 kWh, or even in excess of 100 kWh, would
improve the performance and reduce the operating cost of plug-in hybrid
trucks.
In order to accelerate deployment of plug-in hybrid trucks using
existing technology, it may be desirable to design battery systems that
are modular, that allow for newer technology battery systems to be
placed on existing vehicles when the original battery system no longer
performs to acceptable standards.
System architecture:
Existing hybrid systems for trucks tend to utilize system
architectures that are similar in many ways to that of existing truck
power trains. The internal combustion engine typically remains
operating while the vehicle is driven to power auxiliary loads such as
power steering systems, brake systems and HVAC systems. Keeping the
engine running while stationary or in low speed stop and go traffic
increases fuel consumption. Some vehicles also do not have a clutch in
between the internal combustion engine and the transmission. While such
systems utilize an automatic transmission, it may be desirable to
create a method to uncouple from the transmission from the engine for
improved regenerative braking or an all-electric drive mode.
In order to improve fuel economy further, different system
architectures that are designed for high volume production in which the
internal combustion engine can remain off during driving need to be
developed. The development of electrically driven sub-systems such as
braking, power steering, HVAC and others need to be brought to high
volume production for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Existing parallel hybrid electric vehicle systems for trucks also
tend to use relatively small electric drive components with relatively
low power output, compared to the power provided by the internal
combustions engine. Larger electric motors and higher capacity battery
systems may allow smaller engines to be used that operate at higher
efficiency without a reduction in vehicle performance, or allow the
vehicle to be driven entirely by electric propulsion. Future system
architectures could also combine the benefits of plug-in hybrid
technology, which requires battery systems with high energy densities,
with that of hydraulic hybrids that have high power densities. The
combined plug-in electric hybrid system with hydraulic hybrid
components could offer high horsepower during acceleration and
recapture more energy during braking while providing enough energy for
sustained operation with the engine off.
Alternative power train architectures, such as a combined series/
parallel hybrid system with plug-in battery system are also recommended
for consideration. A combined series/parallel system would allow the
vehicle to operate in an all electric mode, a series hybrid
configuration or a parallel hybrid configuration, depending upon which
is most advantageous given operating requirements.
Utility infrastructure:
While studies tend to indicate that there is sufficient capacity in
the Nation's energy grid at off-peak periods to provide power for
charging a large number of plug-in vehicles, there has been little
testing on the effects of charging a large number of commercial plug-in
hybrid trucks. A commercial fleet of 1000 vehicles, each with a 35 kWh
battery system, could require approximately 25,000 kWh (or 25 MWh) of
power to recharge overnight. Assessment and testing on the effects of
charging a large number of plug-in hybrid trucks is suggested.
Research into specific medium- and heavy-duty applications:
Plug-in hybrid technology for medium- and heavy-duty trucks may
reduce fuel consumption and emissions in a wide variety of
applications. Besides aerial utility trucks and delivery trucks, other
truck applications such as those that use cranes, compressors, welding
equipment, or are used in gas utility maintenance, refrigeration,
rescue, refuse and construction may benefit from plug-in hybrid
technology.
Specific information about the energy required for various mobile
and stationary applications is typically not available. In order to
optimize the design of a plug-in hybrid medium or heavy duty truck, it
is recommended that data be collected on actual fleet utilization,
including miles driven, time at idle, power requirements, fuel
consumption and other operational factors. The development of plug-in
hybrid systems for vehicles that operate at especially low efficiency
should be a priority and testing should be undertaken to validate
improved efficiency and reliability.
DUECO's experience with government technology development programs and
how the federal role can be enhanced:
Federal technology development programs focused on plug-in hybrid
systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks have been very limited. DUECO
has not obtained federal assistance in this area, with the exception of
possible general research tax credits. Most of the funding in this area
has focused on the development of plug-in technology for automobiles or
has been focused on large original equipment manufacturers. The medium-
and heavy-duty truck industry is unique in that many of its products
are often manufactured in multiple stages and brought to market by
companies that are not directly affiliated with the original equipment
manufacturer.
DUECO encourages the Federal Government to develop programs that
help to specifically fund research into the development of plug-in
hybrid systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks used in specific
applications and that are open to final stage manufacturers and other
entities. Assistance with testing, certification, the creation of tax
incentives for customers, and modification of government purchasing
policies to favor the acquisition of more fuel efficient trucks using
plug-in hybrid technology can also accelerate development and
deployment.
Commercial fleets consume large amounts of fuel, developing more
efficient trucks that utilize domestically sourced power from the
Nation's energy grid would have several benefits.
The development of this technology in the United States would
provide opportunities for job creation, export opportunities, reduce
the costs for businesses competing in a global market, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and emissions of other pollutants, reduce
dependency on foreign oil, reduce noise within our cities and
potentially improve productivity for certain applications, such as
electric crews who could perform work at night in residential areas.
This is potentially a historic opportunity to develop the
technology needed for the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty
trucks. I would ask for your support of the proposed legislation that
would help to accelerate research into plug-in hybrid technology for
medium- and heavy-duty trucks and encourage the development of
partnerships between manufacturers and utilities.
Biography for Joseph T. Dalum
Mr. Dalum obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Notre Dame in 1986 and a Master's of Business
Administration from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern
University, in 2003. He has over 20 years of experience in the
automotive and truck industries.
As Vice President of DUECO, Joe has management responsibility for
hybrid programs and several business segments. He has technical
experience in the design and manufacture of aerial bucket and digger
derrick trucks for the utility industry and has managed the engineering
group within DUECO. Joe also works with key accounts and helps to
direct business and investment strategy for DUECO. He serves on the
Board of Directors of DUECO and its affiliates.
Prior to joining DUECO in 1999 as Engineering Manager, Mr. Dalum
developed automotive products and systems for over 10 years. He has
experience in managing projects and bringing new technology from
initial concept into high volume production. Joe has been granted eight
U.S. patents in the area of automotive technology. He has worked on a
variety of domestic and international programs with vehicle
manufacturers including General Motors (both domestic and foreign
subsidiaries), Suzuki, Isuzu, and Fiat to design new components into
their vehicles.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Dalum.
Ms. Egbert, you are recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MS. JILL M. EGBERT, MANAGER, CLEAN AIR
TRANSPORTATION, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY
Ms. Egbert. Good morning, Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member
Inglis, and Members of the Committee. I am very pleased to
appear before you this morning on behalf of Pacific Gas and
Electric Company to offer my views on the important role of
medium- and heavy-duty hybrid and plug-in electric hybrid
vehicles.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, headquartered in San
Francisco, California, is one of the largest natural gas and
electric power utility companies in the United States. The
company provides natural gas and electric service to
approximately 15 million people in northern and central
California.
For nearly two decades PG&E has also actively worked to
advance alternative transportation technologies, including
natural gas and electric vehicles. We are particularly
enthusiastic about the incorporation of hybrid and plug-in
electric hybrid medium- and heavy-duty trucks into our fleet.
We have already seen tremendous financial and environmental
benefits from doing so.
The two most common uses for integrating hybrid and plug-in
hybrid electric trucks into our fleet are for our so-called
trouble trucks and more familiar, bucket trucks. PG&E's trouble
trucks are used by our first responders when an outage or other
situation is initially reported. These trucks operate within a
wide range of mileage parameters, ranging from a few miles if
operated within the city of San Francisco, to covering long
distances if operating in more remote parts of our service
territory. This range of operation makes hybrids an ideal
solution for our company and our industry.
For most repair work the utility industry standard is to
dispatch large diesel-powered bucket trucks. These trucks are
then required to idle for long periods of time to complete many
necessary repairs, consuming one gallon of diesel per hour of
idle time. The idling is necessary to maneuver the bucket used
to hoist servicemen to perform repairs.
In 2007, PG&E became one of 14 utilities across North
America to deploy one of 24 diesel electric hybrid bucket
trucks developed by the International Truck and Eaton
Companies. PG&E's field trial for this new truck is currently
ongoing in San Francisco, and preliminary results indicate that
diesel electric hybrid bucket trucks reduce fuel consumption by
40 to 60 percent, reduce emissions by 50 to 90 percent, provide
on-board power generating capacity to power up to five average-
sized homes while service is being restored, improve
operational and scheduling flexibility, and reduce maintenance
costs.
In addition to incorporating these and other new vehicle
and truck technologies into our fleet, PG&E has actively
participated in DOE-sponsored workshops by providing a utility
company perspective on the benefits and potential of all types
of plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Even as new technology demonstration options are becoming
available to PG&E at an increasing pace, there remains
significant barriers to our ability to more fully deploy the
hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric medium- and heavy-duty
trucks, the most significant being financial barriers.
Currently the up-front cost of a hybrid bucket truck is 50
percent higher than a conventional bucket truck. In other
words, we could purchase three conventional bucket trucks for
every two hybrids we purchase.
Although the lifetime fuel and maintenance savings help
make the investment more attractive and the environmental
benefits are a key part of our business objectives, the up-
front costs are still daunting. In order to accelerate the
procurement of hybrid trucks into utility fleets, we believe
some financial incentive will be needed in either the form of
grants or tax credits. These financial incentives would spur
demands from PG&E and other utilities around the Nation that
will allow truck and power system manufacturers to ultimately
bring down their unit costs.
At a time of historically high diesel prices, increasing
concerns over climate change, and energy security, the time is
right to accelerate research, development, and deployment of
hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric truck technologies. With
thousands of utilities nationwide, the market for medium- and
heavy-duty hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric trucks is very
significant. PG&E commends the Subcommittee's inquiry into this
important market, and we are hopeful that with effective
government leadership the right incentives will be implemented
to help reduce the financial barriers that currently exist and
that discourage widespread, rapid deployment of clean hybrid
commercial truck technology.
On behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, I want to
thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Subcommittee
today. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Egbert follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jill M. Egbert
Chairman Lampson, Ranking Member Inglis, and Members of the
Committee, I am very pleased to appear before you this morning on
behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric Company to offer my views on the
important role of medium- and heavy-duty hybrid and plug-in electric
hybrid trucks in utility fleets. At a time of historically high diesel
fuel prices, increasing concerns over climate change and U.S. energy
security, I commend the Committee for its leadership in addressing this
important topic.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, headquartered in San Francisco,
California, is one of the largest natural gas and electric power
utility companies in the United States. The company provides natural
gas and electric service to approximately 15 million people throughout
a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California.
PG&E proudly delivers some of the Nation's cleanest energy to our
customers. On average, more than half of the electricity we deliver to
customers comes from sources that emit no carbon dioxide, or
CO2, and an increasing amount comes from renewable sources
of energy.
For nearly two decades, PG&E has also actively worked to advance
alternative transportation technologies, including natural gas and
electric vehicles. More recently, the Company has added diesel-electric
hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell powered vehicles to its
fleet. PG&E's clean air transportation strategy is integrated
throughout our fleet and the fleets of many of our customers as well.
This is a key pillar of PG&E's overall emissions reduction and
environmental stewardship strategy--no less important than procuring
clean sources of energy or protecting wildlife habitats.
PG&E operates the largest natural gas alternative fueled utility
fleet in the Nation. Our fleet includes more than 1,200 natural gas
fueled vehicles, of which more than 100 are classified as medium- and
heavy-duty vehicles. The majority of these vehicles run on cleaner
burning compressed natural gas. Over the past ten years, PG&E's fleet
displaced over 3.4 million gallons of diesel and gasoline with natural
gas which translates to over 6,000 avoided tons of CO2
emissions. When combining our fleet with those of more than 300 of our
customers whom we have helped with incorporating alternative fueled
vehicles into their own fleets, the amount of diesel and gasoline
displaced grows to more than 47 million gallons and 174,000 tons of
avoided CO2 emissions over the last three year period
alone.\1\
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\1\ These figures represent a full ``well-to-wheel'' analysis,
which takes into account energy use and emissions at every state of the
process, from the moment the fuel is produced at the well to the moment
the wheels are moved. Estimates compare the avoided emissions from
PG&E's CNG vehicles to petroleum usage based on the methodology
outlined in Full Fuel cycle Assessment (CEC-600-2007-003, June 2007),
which uses the Argonne National Laboratory's GREET emissions model
modified to California inputs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are particularly enthusiastic about the incorporation of hybrid
and plug-in electric hybrid, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, or PHET's,
into our fleet. We have already seen tremendous financial and
environmental benefits from doing so. Our goal in assessing and
applying new vehicle power technologies is to demonstrate their
practical application in our fleet, and gain the experience necessary
to provide our fleet management with alternatives to conventionally
fueled vehicles. With each demonstration vehicle and truck we consider
a number of factors, including initial capital cost, operating and
long-term fuel costs, ability to meet greenhouse gas emissions
reduction goals, reliability and serviceability, operational
flexibility, fuel consumption reduction, tailpipe emission reductions
consistent with California and federal regulations, noise pollution
reduction and operator safety.
The two most common uses for integrating hybrid and PHET trucks
into our fleet are for our so-called ``trouble trucks,'' and the more
familiar ``bucket trucks.'' PG&E's ``trouble trucks'' are used by our
first responders when an outage or other situation is initially
reported, and are dispatched to assess a problem, and occasionally
perform minor repairs lasting under two hours. These trucks operate
within a wide range of mileage parameters, ranging from a few miles if
operated locally within the City of San Francisco to covering long
distances if operating in more remote parts of our service territory.
This range of operation makes hybrids, such as the Ford F550 SuperDuty
hybrid truck an ideal solution for our company and our industry. These
types of vehicles provide significant benefits which include improved
fuel efficiency, lower fuel costs, and lower refueling time as compared
to our conventional trouble trucks. PG&E is currently working with Ford
to develop an all plug-in electric version of the F550 SuperDuty truck.
For most repair work, the utility industry standard is to dispatch
large diesel-powered bucket trucks. These trucks are then required to
idle for long periods of time to complete many of the necessary repairs
which forces a fuel consumption rate of approximately one gallon of
diesel per hour of idle time. The idling is necessary to power the
hydraulic arm, which is powered by the engine, to maneuver the bucket
used to hoist servicemen who perform repairs.
In 2007, PG&E became one of 14 utilities across North America to
deploy one of 24 diesel-electric hybrid bucket trucks developed by the
International Truck and Eaton Companies. PG&E's field trial for this
new truck is currently ongoing in San Francisco with an on-board
telematics system that sends continuous performance and operations data
which measures efficiency against that of a conventional diesel truck
being used in the same application and in the same general geographic
location. Preliminary results indicate that diesel-electric hybrid
bucket trucks:
Reduce fuel consumption by 40-60 percent.
Reduce emissions by 50-90 percent by operating the
utility bucket in electric-only mode without the engine
running. A typical utility truck's engine runs eight or more
hours a day.
Provide on-board power generating capacity of 25
kilowatts of standby power--enough to power up to five average-
size homes while service is being restored.
Improve operational and scheduling flexibility, and
customer satisfaction by operating quietly, particularly when
working at night in noise-sensitive areas.
Reduce maintenance costs due to less engine use and
brake wear due to regenerative braking capacity that charges
the battery.
PG&E has also procured two pre-production heavy duty Peterbilt
hybrid trucks which will have two buckets per truck, designed
specifically for live wire work.
In addition to incorporating these and other new vehicle and truck
technologies into our fleet, we also participate actively in industry
and government sponsored initiatives aimed at defining standards and
requirements for new hybrid and PHET technology. PG&E has actively
participated in DOE sponsored workshops by providing a utility company
perspective on the benefits and potential of all types of plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles and the potential impacts on the electric
power grid of significant penetrations of such vehicles.
Even as new technology demonstration options are becoming available
to PG&E at an increasing pace, there remain significant barriers to our
ability to more fully deploy the hybrid and PHET medium- and heavy-duty
trucks--the most significant being financial barriers. Currently, the
up-front cost of a hybrid bucket truck is 50 percent higher than a
conventional bucket truck. In other words, we could purchase three
conventional bucket trucks for every two hybrids we purchase. Though
the lifetime fuel and maintenance savings help make the investment more
attractive, and the environmental benefits are a key part of our
business objectives, the up-front costs are still daunting. In order to
accelerate the procurement of hybrid trucks into utility fleets,
therefore, we believe some financial incentive will be needed in either
the form of grants or tax credits. These financial incentives would
spur demand from PG&E and other utilities around the Nation that will
allow truck and power system manufacturers to expand operations and
production, achieve economies of scale, and ultimately bring down the
unit costs.
At a time of historically high diesel prices, increasing concerns
over climate change and energy security, the time is right to
accelerate the research, development and deployment of hybrid and plug-
in hybrid electric truck technologies. With thousands of utilities
nationwide, each deploying a fleet of trucks daily to points far and
wide within their service territory, the market for medium- and heavy-
duty hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric trucks is significant. PG&E
commends the Subcommittee's inquiry into this important market and we
are hopeful that with effective government leadership, the right
incentives will be implemented to help reduce the financial barriers
that currently exist and that discourage widespread, rapid deployment
of clean, hybrid commercial truck technology.
On behalf of PG&E, I want to thank you for the opportunity to
appear before the Subcommittee today.
Thank you.
Biography for Jill M. Egbert
Jill is the Manager of Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Clean Air
Transportation department. She has worked for PG&E for over 25 years in
a number of capacities, including governmental affairs, customer
service, service planning and community relations. She chairs the
Greater Sacramento Regional Clean Air Coalition, sits on the Board of
Directors for the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (CNGVC) and
the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA). Jill has a BS in
Business Management.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you very much.
Mr. Parish, you are recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MR. RICHARD C. PARISH, SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER,
CALSTART HYBRID TRUCK USERS FORUM (HTUF), DENVER, COLORADO
Mr. Parish. Thank you very much. I would like to thank the
Subcommittee for inviting CALSTART here today to present our
viewpoint on heavy hybrid technology. We feel like we serve a
very important role in implementing this technology into the
general public and then also providing a means to focus the
activity and the interest of the different fleets in producing
these types of technologies for use in the fleet activities.
I would like to draw your attention to my presentation
charts that are on the screen. The CALSTART activity is based,
it is a non-profit organization, a consortium of not only
industry but also fleet providers, that is very interested in
improving the industry, the transportation industry, and moving
it forward in terms of decreasing the amount of fuel used and
decreasing the amount of emissions that are produced by the
commercial industries.
HTUF, the Hybrid Truck Users Forum, is actually a subset of
the CALSTART activity and is a user-driven process in which we
represent the fleets and try to bridge the gap between the
technology development activity and the actual
commercialization of these vehicles. HTUF intends to bring
working groups together of fleets that are quite interested in
a variety of different applications. Our first activity that we
put together was in the utility bucket truck activity, which
PG&E took part in, and we simulated the different requirements
from the various fleets to identify a common set of
requirements that the truck manufacturers could then respond
to.
So what we did was get the hybrid truck technology off the
ground. There had been some development of heavy hybrids in the
Department of Energy as well as U.S. Army National Automotive
Center, and the Federal Transit Administration, but there was
no real pull from the fleet side to actually get these vehicles
into service.
So what the Hybrid Truck Users Forum did was aggregate the
requirements to provide a focal point for the industry to then
start producing these vehicles. We did this in a joint activity
with U.S. Army National Automotive Center. They are very
supportive of this particular activity, because the Army is
very interested in seeing the hybrid technology being
implemented and being put out on the street so they can see a
reduction in the cost of these vehicles rather than footing the
cost of developing this type of technology on their own. They
would like to see it become commercially viable and therefore,
more cost effective in putting in the military vehicles.
So we have been very active in terms of this first
particular working group that we put together. We have looked
at other working groups and are in the process of implementing
those as well.
You should be aware that hybrid trucks and medium- and
heavy-duty trucks are very different than the light-duty
vehicles. We have seen a great implementation of light-duty
vehicles, hybrid vehicles, in the public sector. There is good
acceptance there now, but we feel like because of that
acceptance that the government should now start focusing on
medium- and heavy-duty sectors to start making some real
technology improvements and implementation of these new vehicle
concepts.
On this timeline you see where there is a real range in
implementation of these particular vehicles. On the far right
we are already in early production as identified by Mr. Smith
from Eaton Corporation. We are in early production of these
bucket truck vehicles from International using the Eaton drive
train, and that is very encouraging, but these vehicles are
still rather expensive. There are other vehicles that are being
implemented in terms of the refuse vehicles, parcel delivery,
also shuttle bus type of vehicles that are going to be entering
early production here in the next few years, but still the
technology is not there to implement some of the benefits that
we see in the light-duty world. In particular, I think it was
pointed out that light-duty vehicles have the ability to shut
off their engines when they are at a stop, engine off at idle
capability. Right now we do not have that capability in medium-
and heavy-duty trucks because we do not have the electrically-
driven accessories that are required. So much development is
required in getting that type of technology in place.
So we are seeing just the first versions of these vehicles
emerging at this point in time, and much technology development
is still really needed to make these viable.
And was as pointed out earlier, hybrid technology is
starting to be incorporated in Class eight over-the-road
vehicles, and are now being looked at in drage vehicles for the
ports, particularly ports of LA and the ports of Long Beach.
And these are very promising types of technologies, but until
we get the appropriate support for the technology, development,
as well as the implementation of these vehicles, and then some
incentives to help reduce the up-front costs, they will be
lagging in terms of their implementation.
So as identified, the trucks are different from passenger
cars, even though the technology has been well developed for
passenger cars, and we see it starting to emerge, trucks are a
different order of magnitude in terms of their weight, class,
and the scale of the systems that need to be put in place, as
well as the durability that is required for these vehicles. So
there is a whole new segment of development activity that needs
to take place here.
We feel that industry and the fleets could benefit from
support for ongoing R&D. There was some preliminary R&D efforts
involved at the Department of Energy under the Heavy Hybrid
Program managed by the National Renewable Energy Lab, but that
funding has been reduced and is now coming to a close. And but
without the full benefit of coming to fruition for these new
technologies. So we would like to see some further support for
that type of R&D effort.
And we would also like to see that there be some purchase
incentives. As was also pointed out the initial costs of these
vehicles is fairly high. The cost of the fuel at this point in
time, even though it is high, does not quite cover the total
cost of the differential cost of the hybrid vehicle. So what we
are seeing is some additional funding needed up-front to help
cover that differential.
So we would also like to see a commitment by the government
over a long-term, five- to ten-year program, to really
implement these technologies, not only hybridization, but also
more efficient truck technologies into the commercial fleets.
I would like to thank you very much for the opportunity to
talk with you today and hopefully we have a good discussion.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Parish follows:]
Prepared Statement of Richard C. Parish
CALSTART thanks the House Committee on Science and Technology,
Energy and Environment Subcommittee and its members for the opportunity
to testify and share our knowledge with you on the important issue of
hybrid and more efficient medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. This is a
critical area of emerging capability for the U.S., both in terms of
reducing fuel--and cutting costs--for users, as well as reducing urban
pollution and global warming emissions. It is also an important
competitive leadership issue for U.S. manufacturers building leading-
edge products here and for export to the international market.
CALSTART and its Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), together with its
industry, fleet and public partners, are working together to speed
hybrid and advanced truck commercialization and have identified the key
benefits and barriers to progress which we welcome the chance to
explain. We think there is an opportunity for smart, targeted
investments and partnerships between industry and government to speed
these new capabilities to market.
Our testimony will follow this outline: A brief introduction to
CALSTART; the Role & Goals of HTUF; the Importance of Hybrids; the
State of the Industry; Gaps and Barriers; Next Steps; Future Vision.
What is CALSTART?
CALSTART is North America's leading advanced transportation
technologies consortium. It is a fuel and technology neutral,
participant-supported non-profit organization of more than 150
companies and agencies, dedicated to expanding and supporting a high-
tech transportation industry that cleans the air, creates economic
opportunity and reduces imported oil use and greenhouse gas emissions.
CALSTART serves as an unbiased, strategic broker to spur advanced
transportation technologies, fuels, systems and the companies that make
them. It works across four areas to expand and support this industry:
operating technology development and demonstration programs with
industry partners; consulting to ports, fleets and others on
implementation of new fuels, vehicles and technologies; providing
services to industry members to expand their capabilities; and
supporting and guiding the creation of policies that increase the
efficiency and reduce the emissions of U.S. transportation.
CALSTART plays a leading national role in facilitating the
development of advanced propulsion systems and alternative fuels in the
heavy-duty vehicle and transit industry. It helped create the
capability for heavy-duty hybrid drive systems in transit buses in
program partnerships with DARPA, and now leads efforts in advanced
commercial vehicle hybrids, fuels cells, hydrogen and biofuels. Founded
in 1992, CALSTART is headquartered in California but operates
nationally and internationally in its programs.
Role and Goals of the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF)
The Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) is a national program made up
of first-mover fleets and major truck and system makers to speed the
commercialization of medium- and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles and to
build a competitive, sustainable medium- and heavy-duty hybrid vehicle
market. HTUF is operated by CALSTART in a unique partnership with the
U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
(TARDEC)--National Automotive Center (NAC).\1\ Additional program
support has been provided by the Hewlett Foundation, with some project
funding from the Department of Transportation and the Department of
Energy. HTUF has proven to be a highly successful program to jump-start
the commercial hybrid truck industry in North America. Its track record
of success, and the results in terms of industry development and
product launches, has benefited truck makers and suppliers as well as
military planners keen on supporting a dual-use commercial
manufacturing capability for advanced trucks. HTUF is credited with
removing one to two years from the product development cycle.
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\1\ The NAC is the Army's outreach arm to the commercial
transportation industry, and is charged with both understanding the
capabilities of the commercial vehicle industry and working to increase
the capabilities of the industry to build advanced vehicles and
technologies that can support emerging Army and military needs.
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HTUF was designed to fill what was clearly a gap between technology
development and products moving into the market. What was needed was a
nimble, fast-track process for commercialization. HTUF's model for
action focuses on truck users to create market ``pull'' (demand) around
their needs for saving fuel, reducing emissions and noise and better
performance. HTUF now works with more than 80 national fleets
representing more than one million vehicles on the road, and all major
truck makers and system suppliers. HTUF has identified the most
promising early uses of hybrid technology (such as refuse, delivery and
utility trucks), is working with fleet users of these vehicles to
determine their common needs, and then is organizing these committed
users to purchase and use commercially-built hybrids that meet these
requirements. For the commercial industry, this has significantly
accelerated their time to market by allowing them to focus on the most
promising first markets. Product improvement is also much faster
because customers share information and needs in real time with
suppliers during assessment and development.
There is an additional benefit in the model--reducing cost and time
for the military user. By developing a commercial manufacturing base
and market for similarly sized and functioning systems, eventual costs
to military users are reduced. The time to source and deploy future
military systems is reduced, as well. By partnering in early commercial
deployments, the military is able to assess performance, designs and
architecture at extremely low cost. And by being active in the
performance requirements, future military capabilities, such as silent
watch, are designed into commercial systems from the start.
HTUF fleets have already launched or completed several fast track
projects. Fourteen initial fleets ordered, deployed and assessed 24
utility hybrid trucks in a national pilot program, demonstrating up to
50 percent fuel economy improvements and exceptional reliability. This
effort led directly to a follow up order of more than 100 trucks and
has now helped launch early hybrid production in this class of medium-
duty trucks. HTUF fleet working groups in the parcel, refuse and small
bus categories are launching similar pilot efforts to spread hybrid
truck applications. A new working group--in full-size, Class 8 long
haul trucks, plans to deploy some hybrid ``big-rigs'' by late 2008. As
a result of the HTUF process, the commercial industry is now rapidly
developing early heavy-duty hybrid products in several different market
applications. First assembly line production has now started and
additional product launches are pending.
Importance of Hybrids
Hybrid technology is a transformative technology for
transportation. Future vehicles need to reduce urban pollution while
also cutting fuel use. Few technologies can do both: hybrid can,
increasing efficiency while also reducing emissions. Not only can it
provide immediate benefits today, in terms of reduced fuel consumption,
reduced criteria emissions and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, it
also is an enabling architecture for future reductions and
improvements. Once hybridized, vehicles can become more effective
platforms for additional improvements, including the use of
electrified, more efficient components, the use of downsized and
optimized engines and combustion schemes, and enabling a transition to
greater engine-off operation with enhanced energy storage. The stored
energy can come from cleaner fuel sources--such as electricity--in
plug-in variants. For the military, hybrids provide not just reduced
consumption--which means a reduced supply chain and longer endurance--
but also advanced capabilities. Military vehicles desperately need
increased electrical power in deployed vehicles, and military users
desire greater power generation in the field: both are inherent
capabilities of a hybrid electric system. Military planners also seek
engine-off ``silent watch'' functionality, which is the ability to
support vehicle functions from stored energy without using the noisy--
and detectable--engine. Hybrids deployed in assessment by HTUF and the
NAC have already proven-out this stealth function. Advanced versions
can allow ``stealth'' driving, as well--vehicle movement for limited
distances without the engine starting.
State of the Industry
Hybrid truck technology has made significant strides in the last
several years and is now on the ``cusp'' of commercialization. However,
unlike passenger cars, where hybrid technology has been in production
for a decade, first hybrid production is only now just starting in the
truck industry. Integrating hybrid technology into truck platforms
presents different challenges than in passenger cars, requiring
different strategies, packaging and weight concerns, system designs and
component sizing. The market drivers and purchase criteria are
completely different in the commercial vehicle market than in the
consumer market. Therefore, it is fair to think of hybrid trucks as
being ten years behind the auto industry and also needing very
different research, development and market acceptance tools to support
them.
So far, unlike the automotive industry, the leaders in medium- and
heavy-duty hybrids are U.S.-based manufacturers. This is a significant
advantage to the Nation. However, that leadership is not assured. More
than six truck makers and ten system makers are now developing heavy
hybrid prototypes or pre-production products in first applications, but
the effort has not yet achieved critical mass and is at an important
point in its evolution. To break out, these first efforts must succeed
and expand. One of the key early barriers to success is that production
volumes are low, so prices remain high.
On target with HTUF's intermediate goals, the first U.S. truck
maker entered early assembly line production of hybrids in October
2007. International Truck and Engine Corporation, using an Eaton
Corporation hybrid electric drive system, launched the DuraStar hybrid
truck. It is now available in limited quantities from all its dealers
in North America. The company can build up to one thousand trucks its
first year. This capability was assisted directly from HTUF's efforts.
Two other truck makers, Peterbilt and Kenworth, have announced early
production plans for 2008, including hydraulic and electric hybrid
offerings using Eaton systems, and Peterbilt is developing a Class 8
long-haul hybrid truck. Azure Dynamics will start producing a hybrid
chassis with Ford in 2008. Freightliner has recently announced it will
join International, Kenworth and Peterbilt in the medium hybrid truck
market. Volvo/Mack has announced a hybrid truck capability in the 2009/
2010 timeframe. Other companies are show-casing capabilities and
prototypes, including Dueco with an Odyne plug-in hybrid utility truck,
Oshkosh with an electric refuse collection truck, Crane Carrier with
both an electric hybrid featuring an ISE driveline and a hydraulic
hybrid featuring a Bosch Rexroth driveline. BAE, Allison, Parker
Hannifin, Hybra-Drive, Permo-Drive, Enova Systems and ArvinMeritor are
other examples of suppliers with active development efforts, some of
which already produce hybrid systems for transit or other applications.
Initially there was skepticism by some whether hybrid technology
would have a broad enough application to all trucks. Certainly
initially, it is clear there are some first ``beachhead'' markets and
applications for hybrids, such as refuse, urban and regional delivery,
utility and similar work truck applications. However, these early
markets are just the beginning, not the end pint, for hybrids. HTUF and
partner testing are showing that hybrid technology delivers greater
fuel economy in almost every duty cycle. The key early issue is to
place hybrid vehicles where they will have the highest initial payback.
However, as system costs come down with increased volume, improved
system design and integration and new technologies, hybrid drivelines
will steadily be applied in more and more market segments. Indeed, the
next breakthrough in hybrid technology appears to be Class 8 long haul
trucks, the highest fuel using truck class. Five truck-makers have
public or private programs to develop this capability, currently led by
Peterbilt-Eaton. Hybrid systems may contribute three to four percent
fuel economy improvements alone; combined with their built-in ability
to provide idle reduction savings, this could approach six to eight
percent improvements. Hybrid technology actually shows the future
capability of addressing a significant percentage of the truck fleet,
building out of first markets in heavy urban work trucks.
Gaps and Barriers
Hybridizing the truck driveline is a key stepping-stone to future
advanced capabilities in both hybrid and conventional trucks. If we are
to reduce petroleum use (and address climate change) it is one of the
key technologies to achieve that. Yet truck and system makers need
public sector support and partnerships to bring these important
technologies forward as quickly as the Nation needs them. The industry
is resource constrained: as much as 80 percent of the engineering
talent at the truck and engine makers has been focused, rightly, on the
emission reduction requirements of 2007 and 2010. To support a parallel
and fast-track effort in hybrids, critical as it is, is more than the
industry can do alone. Industry needs government partnership and shared
risk and investment to make it happen as fast as it is needed.
The core early barriers to fleet adoption are clearly high unit
cost mostly due to low manufacturing volumes and the lack of a robust
component marketplace. Assistance to help fleets cross this first
market incremental price barrier would be extremely helpful. However,
fleets also need additional in-use performance data and validation to
help justify their capital investment in these new systems, and
assistance to aggregate their demand with other fleets to speed
purchases. Together with this is industry's need for additional
development and testing of new components, better system integration
and advanced capabilities. In essence, hybrid trucks are at the
emergent stage of technology; the performance shown by early vehicles
is just the beginning of what future hybrid and advanced capabilities
can be.
Given these observations, CALSTART/HTUF has identified with its
industry and fleet partners the core needs for continuing momentum in
hybrids, and they fall along the stages of development:
Need for continued funding of research and
development in core hybrid and advanced systems (R&D--
development stage)
Need for continued funding and partnership in fleet
support/pre-production demonstration and pilot projects to
assess and validate hybrid performance and reliability
(Demonstration/Validation--pre-production stage)
Need for fleet purchase assistance in the early
market stage to speed introduction and rapidly increase
manufacturing volume (Purchase Incentives--early market stage).
In terms of R&D, the core technology development needs now are for
improved system integration and manufacturability, reduced energy
storage costs specific to commercial vehicle designs, electrified
components (to enable even greater fuel economy gains in all trucks,
and more capable hybrids in particular), optimized and downsized
engines, advanced combustion schemes, power generation, light-weight
materials, and advanced control systems.
It's important to understand that there are still technical
barriers for trucks and buses that are not the same for passenger cars.
For instance, there is no commercially-available electrically-driven
air conditioning, steering pump or other components yet in the truck
world. There are expensive prototypes, but no systems that can hold up
to heavy-duty vehicle duty cycles. This is a core area of need, because
their availability not only enables more-effective hybrids, they make
for more efficient conventional trucks as well. Optimized engines are
another good example. Specifically because a hybrid drive system allows
the main engine to work differently, and usually to work less or work
in a narrower power range, cleaner and more efficient engine designs
are possible, such as Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI).
Such engines are more difficult to use if they must cover the full
range of a conventional truck's power needs, but may be possible when
functioning in a more limited power range coupled to a hybrid system.
The medium- and heavy-duty industry would greatly benefit from
support across all three of the stages identified above to more rapidly
improve the fuel efficiency of the heavy truck sector, which has the
highest per vehicle fuel use, and therefore the highest pay-back
potential for investment. Yet investment has been sorely lacking for
the commercial vehicle platforms, or applied in a less than focused
way.
It is worth noting that Department of Energy projects to help
develop and test early heavy hybrid technologies, managed by the
National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), were very useful and moved
specific technologies forward that are in products we are now seeing
today in transit hybrid buses and medium hybrid trucks. Unfortunately,
most of that funding and commitment has ended.
Similarly, significant progress was made to drive the core hybrid
driveline functionality via early Department of Transportation-Federal
Transit Administration and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) funding in the 1990s. These were exceptionally innovative
programs.
Missing from all these efforts was not only a longer-term duration,
but support and strategies that moved technology along all the stages
of development.
The commercial vehicle segment has not been a high enough priority
for funding. It has also been assumed that investments made in
passenger cars are sufficient to support commercial vehicle needs. The
truth is, there are important differences between commercial and
consumer--truck and car--hybrid vehicles in terms of duty cycles,
system architectures, market needs and business cases. A portfolio of
smart, targeted funding over a multi-year period and covering all the
stages identified above and aimed at the needs of the commercial
industry would have significant impacts.
The Army has been a great partner and leader, supports this effort
and has directed internal funds to it, but resources to completely
support the needs and develop new capabilities are limited by the
Army's immediate priorities. Additional broader support is needed to
accelerate the effort and achieve critical next steps to develop a
national heavy hybrid capability.
Next Steps
HTUF itself, together with its partners, are currently focused on a
multi-year strategy that envisions creating a sustainable hybrid and
high efficiency truck market over the next seven years, and working to
develop the support to achieve this vision. Hybrids are the first and
critical component of the move to high efficiency trucks. To achieve
this will require building both market volumes in early applications,
and adding new capabilities to both hybrid and conventional trucks over
this time frame. To do this effectively will require government
partnerships and risk sharing with the industry and fleets.
To succeed will require a robust, self-sustaining hybrid truck
market, with offerings across multiple platform sizes and applications.
To achieve these goals HTUF needs to continue to recruit and educate
fleets in the targeted segments, and ensure that pre-production and
early production commitments are achieved in these segments over the
next several years. This will also entail opening new segments as price
points allow, such as industrial/non-road vehicles and drayage trucks.
Hybrid alone will provide such benefits in many but not all duty
cycles. It will require enhanced capabilities to achieve these levels,
including optimized engines, improved energy storage, light-weight
material use, more efficient components, better aerodynamics in long
haul applications, plug-in hybrid modes, and other strategies. Such
enhancements enable the increased capabilities of quiet, engine-off
operation and the ability of some trucks to be mobile power generators
for emergency and work needs.
Importantly, these same improvements that increase the capabilities
of hybrids also increase the fuel efficiency of conventional trucks.
This concurrent move of hybrids into Class 8 heavy segments and the
focus on improving core truck components is the leverage point to much
more broadly impact the truck industry. By targeting users demanding
increased fuel efficiency, working with regulatory agencies to develop
accepted metrics for hybrid fuel efficiency and expanding the suite of
enabling and enhancing technologies for hybrids, we will provide the
platform and the pathway for measuring, delivering and expanding
improved fuel efficiency in all trucks.
Future Vision
The government has a rightful and needed role to play at each stage
of hybrid and high efficiency truck and technology development, and it
is likely a different role at each point. If government agencies were
to commit to moving forward medium- and heavy-duty hybrid and high
efficiency trucks following an integrated plan and an ``investment''
strategy for the use of funding, that would be extremely useful and
cost-effective for the industry.
In light of the growing market penetration and public acceptance of
hybrid drivetrain technology in light-duty vehicles, the government can
now direct a concerted focus on the medium- and heavy-duty sectors to
further advance the technology benefits.
It is important to note that assistance is needed now. The industry
is at a critical stage and on the threshold of a successful launch.
However, this launch can also be viewed more broadly as the first stage
of a transformation of transportation technology. What is required is a
commitment to a major program, on a par with light-duty efforts, to
move medium- and heavy-duty vehicle technology to the next level.
Therefore, looking forward in the broadest sense, CALSTART could
envision a high profile program built on these parameters:
First, a commitment to target, support and fund over
a multi-year period the steps required to achieve
commercialization outlined earlier: R&D; Fleet Support and Pre-
production Demonstration; and Purchase Incentives. To get
maximum effect, an integrated strategy encompassing all three
is needed.
Second, government's role and risk should be
different at each stage, as is acknowledged already in most
programs. However, a portfolio approach as to how much funding
to apply to each stage, and a commitment to do so consistently
over several years, would be most beneficial to the market. It
would focus industry technology investments and engineering
resource allocation as well as signal to private investors
where to extend their investment into innovation in new
technology. Such signals can often leverage as much private
resource as direct governmental funding.
Research and development might rightly make up 15-20
percent of such a total government partnership
portfolio, with pre-production demonstration, testing
and validation an additional five to ten percent. We
can see the need for purchase incentives, based on a
sliding scale determined by truck size and level of
increased efficiency, and declining over time, making
up as much as 70-75 percent of this overall portfolio.
Third, it is highly important that research,
development and demonstration activities be designed and
operated to encourage competition, innovation and new players.
Past efforts in some agencies have been closed to any but a
handful of manufacturers and suppliers, a constraint unlikely
to speed new approaches. Additionally, a commitment to spur
action and achieve aggressive outcomes would add energy to the
program. We can envision a ten year commitment to achieve 40-50
percent fuel economy gains as an average across all new trucks
as a starting point for discussion.
Fourth, such a program structure would ideally take
place over a minimum of five years and be led by an agency or
partnership that sees the value of and desires action to occur.
Given the likely growing concerns with reducing foreign oil
imports for energy security, the need for greater fuel
efficiency to save truck operators money and secure jobs, and
the need for significant carbon reductions in the future, a ten
year program would be ideal as a clarion call to and a signal
of commitment and action.
Fifth, the level of investment should be commensurate
with the needs and the challenge. California has recently
enacted a high tech and fuel investment program (Assembly Bill
118) that will invest $200M per year over seven years in new
transportation technology and fuels. Given this precedent in
only one state, we would recommend at least a comparable
federal effort, but targeting hybrid and high-efficiency
medium- and heavy-duty vehicles over ten years. This can serve
as a framework for the effort needed to ensure U.S.
manufacturing technology leadership and meeting its energy
security and greenhouse gas emissions goals. Based on the
investment portfolio proposed, this could mean $40-$60M per
year for R&D and fleet support/pre-production deployments, and
$140M per year for purchase incentives. This balance can also
be modified to ``front load'' the investment in the early years
and decline over time, from $400M/year down to $50M in the
final year. Purchase incentives can also be structured to
decline over time.
Such program commitments and integrated strategies are difficult to
coordinate across different agencies, as demonstrated by the limited
success of some previous efforts. However, it is possible that
motivated agencies can be determined to carry out segments of the total
strategy. The Department of Transportation already has responsibility
for setting truck fuel economy standards; its Federal Transit
Administration has helped spur hybrid bus acceptance; the Environmental
Protection Agency is establishing truck fuel economy testing protocols;
the Department of Energy's NREL has managed R&D and testing for heavy
hybrids; The Department of Defense's NAC has invested in both targeted
hybrid R&D and in pre-production pilot demonstrations. A coordinated
approach is critical, as is a strong and willing commitment to lead.
The DOD's NAC is a good example of an agency taking a focused, outcome-
oriented approach and achieving measurable results. Such
characteristics have been the hallmark of past successful efforts in
which we have experience.
Again, thanks to the Committee, staff and Members for the
opportunity to provide this testimony and share the progress to date we
have seen in medium- and heavy-duty hybrids, and the significant
benefit we could create for our industry and nation with a focused and
strategic commitment to move change in this field.
Biography for Richard C. Parish
EDUCATION:
University of Texas-Austin, 1980--MS, Mechanical Engineering
Thesis: Performance Analysis of the Gateway Solar Energy Project
University of Texas-Austin, 1971--BA, Anthropology; Math minor
REGISTRATION:
Professional Engineer, State of Colorado
EXPERIENCE:
5/06-Present--WestStart-CALSTART; Denver, Colorado
T3Senior Program Manager (May 2006 to present)
Leading the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) program
activity to assist in the commercialization of medium-
and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles. Specific
responsibilities include: leading the Hybrid Refuse
Truck, Class 8, and Parcel Delivery Working Groups;
overseeing the Shuttle Bus and Utility/Specialty Truck
Working Groups; and organizing and implementing the
annual HTUF National Meeting.
2/92-4/06--NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY (NREL),
Golden, Colorado
Senior Project Leader--Transportation Systems (Jan.
2000 to Apr. 2006)
Led three Department of Energy (DOE) funded tasks: 1)
Gaseous Fuels; 2) Advanced Heavy Hybrid Propulsion
Systems; 3) Power Electronics Systems. Developed
medium- and heavy-duty natural gas engines and hybrid
electric technologies and vehicles through in-house and
subcontracted efforts with engine and vehicle
manufacturers. Managed $6.2M annual budget. Previously
initiated and managed a project to provide technical
assistance (Tiger Teams) to Clean Cities organizations
attempting to implement alternative fuel vehicles.
Simultaneously led the Advanced Vehicle Testing
Activity for test and evaluation of emerging,
alternative fuel vehicle technologies. Participated in
the California Fuel Cell Partnership, Fuel Cell Bus and
Light-Duty Vehicle Working Groups.
Senior Project Leader--Federal Energy Management
Program (Sept. 1996 to Dec. 1999)
Implemented DOE Federal Energy Management Program
(FEMP) projects to conserve energy and incorporate
renewable energy technologies in federal facilities.
Assisted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
establishing an Energy Savings Performance Contract
(ESPC) to upgrade and create a renewable energy
showcase for their Ann Arbor, Michigan facility HVAC
system. Assisted NASA Headquarters Energy Manager in
developing an ESPC and renewable energy program for
their field offices. Worked closely with a
subcontractor expert in building energy evaluation to
perform preliminary evaluations of various federal
facilities to implement renewable energy and energy
efficient systems.
Senior Project Leader--Thermal Systems (Feb. 1992 to
Aug. 1996)
Led the development of a variable-conductance,vacuum
insulation system to be used for the thermal control of
high-temperature advanced batteries in electric
vehicles. Managed budget, schedule, technical
personnel, research constraints, and performance to
technical requirements to maintain the project on
track. Managed laboratory test activities, evaluating
test procedures and results, to accomplish multiple,
parallel test goals. Interfaced with the primary
customers, the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium
(USABC), which was composed of auto and battery
manufacturers, to refine project requirements and
goals. Managed the project to implement these in a
timely and efficient manner. Performance under the
original $3.5M cooperative research and development
agreement (CRADA) resulted in a $600K supplemental
contract with the USABC, which was managed concurrently
with the original project.
Active participant in the NREL2000 activity to
streamline operational processes within the laboratory.
Led a sub-team focused on improving the operations and
reducing costs within the NREL Facilities Office.
10/80-1/92--NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
(NASA), Houston, Texas
Space Station Thermal Systems Integration Manager
(Sept. 1990 to Jan. 1992 and Dec. 1988 to Sept. 1989)
Responsible for the coordination and integration of
the Space Station Thermal Control System (TCS) design
between the participating NASA centers and
International Partners. Charged with managing the TCS
Architecture Control Document, which served as the
system definition and design requirements document.
Actively served as the Chairman of the TCS Working
Group composed of NASA and International Partner
thermal system experts, conducting Working Group
meetings, resolving interface issues, creating action
plans, and coordinating the goals of the Group. Thermal
System prime point-of-contact for the NASA Space
Station Program and Project Offices.
Planet Surface System, Systems Engineer (Sept. 1989 to
Sept. 1990)
Performed as lead engineer in the development of
planet-surface system concepts and element designs.
Responsible for coordinating and managing line
organization support to the Planet Surface System (PSS)
Office. Served as alternate to the PSS Manager at
agency-wide Program Review Boards. Frequently acted in
the stead of the PSS Manager in his absence.
Responsible for organizing and directing the PSS
Technical Status Review Board with the goal of
interaction and communication between the various NASA
centers' engineering and project office organizations.
Space Station Heat Acquisition and Transport Subsystem
Manager (Jan. 1988 to Dec. 1988)
Responsible for the design, development, test, and
evaluation of critical Space Station thermal control
subsystem hardware. Developed system design
requirements, test requirements, test plans, and
hardware performance criteria for candidate active
thermal control systems.
Thermal Transport System Development Contract Manager
(Jan. 1984 to Dec. 1988)
Acted as contract technical manager for development
contracts focusing on technology advances in two-phase
(liquid/vapor) spacecraft thermal transport systems as
well as specific hardware components of the systems,
such as contact and integral heat exchangers and
rotating fluid couplers. Total contract value was
approximately $5 million. Development efforts included
design and implementation of reduced gravity flight
tests.
Microgravity Research Principal Investigator (Jun.
1984 to Jan. 1988)
Established requirements and preliminary designs for
experiments to investigate the behavior of liquid/vapor
fluid in the microgravity environment. Coordinated
research efforts with thermal technology development
activity.
Thermal Analysis Development (Jan. 1984 to Oct. 1985)
Initiated the development of ``next generation''
thermal analysis programs for utilization with two-
phase thermal control systems. Provided analytical
support for preliminary design of Space Station thermal
tools.
Shuttle Vehicle Thermal Model Development (Oct. 1980-
Dec. 1983)
Generated and correlated detailed thermal models of
portions of the Shuttle vehicle using SINDA and TRASYS
analysis tools. Provided real-time mission support and
post-flight data analysis.
Discussion
The Federal Government's Role in Promoting Heavy Hybrid
Technologies
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Parish.
At this point we will open our first round of questions,
and the Chair will recognize himself for five minutes.
Mr. Penney, let me ask of you, what, at what point in the
development do you feel that it is appropriate for DOE
involvement to begin to drop off? And secondly, should we focus
only on the most basic research, or do we have a responsibility
to see that technologies get to the market, and where are they
weakest?
Mr. Penney. That is a good question. The opportunity from
my perspective I enjoy seeing systems level approach. When we
work on components, which is essential and required, you
sometimes don't, when you put all the pieces together, you
learn new things, and I tried to emphasize in my testimony that
a systems approach is absolutely critical.
Now, the Department of Energy has classically funded on the
component level for energy storage, power electronics, thermal
controls, and issues like that. They have drawn the line
because they feel that industry's responsibility is to put that
system level together. As was pointed out by Mr. Parish, we did
have a few projects with Oshkosh truck, with Eaton, and Allison
Bus transit fleets. The system level performance really taught
us new things that we didn't learn from just component-type
activities. And all of these companies benefited greatly by
that education, and they would not be there today had it not
been for that federal support.
Pricing
Chairman Lampson. Thank you. Mr. Smith, what is the price
premium for an Eaton hybrid truck compared to a conventional
model, and what accounts for the difference?
Mr. Smith. Well, the difference is accounted for because of
the added componentry that we need to add. There is, in a
parallel system like we provide, there is a motor generator
that is in the system, there is a power electronics inverter
that takes energy from the batteries and feeds it to the motor
or in the condition where you are acting as a generator such as
regenerative braking, you are taking power back from the
generator and feeding it into the batteries to recharge.
So the price premium that you are paying is for all of the
additional components, plus all of the controls that make all
of these individual components work together, you know,
efficiently and safely.
As far as the price premium, that is actually an OEM
decision to the customer since we sell to OEMs and then the
OEMs sell directly to the customers, but as Ms. Egbert
mentioned, you know, the 50 percent premium currently on a
hybrid vehicle is probably very close to what we are seeing out
in the market today for a hybrid vehicle.
The 21st Century Truck Partnership
Chairman Lampson. Has the 21st Century Truck Partnership
been a success? And should it continue? And I would like for
all of you to comment on that, and add a second part to it. How
could the program be structured better to speed hybrid
technology in medium and heavy truck, heavy-duty trucks?
And do you want to start, Mr. Smith?
Mr. Smith. Yeah. It is actually not a topic that I am well
informed on, and I can respond in writing at a later date to
give a full response from the Eaton perspective.
Chairman Lampson. Anyone want to comment on those two
things?
Please, Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Yes. I think the 21st Century Truck Program
ideally was very well conceived, and I think it started out
with good promise, because we did have the involvement of a
variety of different federal agencies in that particular
activity, and it looked like it was going to be very
constructive.
However, as it turned out, I think it had limited success,
because there was a lack of a real vision and adequate funding
for the activity. I think as we have observed the 21 CT
activity now is kind of a gathering of interested parties that,
you know, they are interested to see if anything is going to
happen from the federal level, but from what we have seen so
far nothing has really been initiated, and there has been no
real program activity that resulted as a result of the 21 CT
Program.
So I would say that, yes, as it is conceived it is a very
viable and very worthwhile type of activity, but I think it
needs to be revisioned in terms of how it is led and make sure
that there is an agency that is very motivated to make it a
success. And our association with U.S. National Automotive
Center has proven that they have the ability to----
Chairman Lampson. Mr. Penney, do you want to comment?
Mr. Penney. Yes. I am NREL's lab rep for 21 CT. In fact, I
canceled my trip today, they are having a 21 CT meeting at
Volvo Corporation in Greensboro, and I think the issue as was
pointed out, there needs to be a flagship project, and I think
getting together and sharing the education that I talked about
in the 21 Century Truck Partnership has been very useful. We
generally have at least monthly phone calls, people share what
is happening, what is new, what are the issues that need to be
worked on, but as Richard had pointed out, the funding from DOE
has been focused more on the light duty because of the
displacement of oil savings on the large number of light-duty
vehicles as opposed to the heavy-duty vehicles.
But I think we have talked in the 21 Century Truck
Partnership with all the members of a flagship project such as
a super truck, putting all these technologies together,
aerodynamics, idle reduction, hybridization, start, stop, you
know, these things as one big package it would be nice to have
a moon shot for a truck, so to speak, especially on the Class
eight applications, which, in fact, could save a lot of oil.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you. I yield to Mr. Inglis for five
minutes.
Scientific and Economic Barriers to Deployment
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, Mr. Smith, thank you for having, Eaton having
a facility in Greenville, South Carolina. We are very happy to
have you there, and I will give you an opportunity to give a
plug if you want to about what you do there, especially if it
relates to this or even if it doesn't. But figure out a way to
work that into an answer, would you? Do an advertisement for
Greenville, South Carolina.
So I am sort of wondering here whether we are doing science
or economics. If it is science that is holding us back through
the deployment of these technologies or if it is economics. The
issue with economics is you can approach it a couple of
different ways. One is you can do grants and tax credits and
regulate things, or you can unleash the power of the market. If
you unleash the power of the market, it seems to me the first
step is to stop having free externalities associated with
incumbent technology, which is diesel.
If you attach the price to that, you internalize the
externals to that product, then that 50 percent premium becomes
a much smaller premium. Right? Because then the freebie in the
air that currently is, benefits the incumbent technology, which
is diesel, shrinks. And as it shrinks hybrids and every other
kind of alternative suddenly becomes economically viable. Maybe
not so suddenly but it becomes economically viable.
So which are we talking about here? Are we talking science
that is holding us back, or are we talking economics that is
holding us back?
Anybody want to tackle that?
Mr. Dalum. In my opinion it is both. I think there are some
very short-term benefits that could be gained in this area, in
my view, in plug-in technology, but those benefits are somewhat
limited by not performing enough research. The research in my
view could improve the performance over what is available
today. I am referring to different powertrain designs which use
smaller engines, larger electric motors, different battery
technology that I have not seen available in a large capacity
advanced battery for a truck.
So I think it is a little bit of both. I think we could
move very quickly if we had some research for specific
applications and incentives, and then secondly, perhaps some
research devoted to more longer-term advancement of the
technology.
Mr. Inglis. And what you are selling today, is the
electricity used to charge the battery which then runs the
powertrain or is it like the Chevy Volt is going to do? That is
the concept of the Volt. Right?
Mr. Dalum. It is a parallel system, which means that the
diesel engine is always operating when the vehicle is moving,
and that is because as Mr. Parish had talked about, in the
industry right now there is not a commercially-available, high-
volume, electrification of certain subcomponents like the HVAC
system, power steering, brakes, and so forth.
So the engine is always running, and the electric motor
provides supplemental propulsion. Okay? So there are limits to
its efficiency gains because the engine is always running. The
battery that we use is a very large battery. It is a heavy
battery, but it has been around for a long time, and that is
why we chose it, because it is well understood technology. But
it depletes. That means that you charge it up at night, and you
want the battery to deplete, and then when you are done after
the day, you charge it up at night.
That being said, this vehicle never, you never have to
charge the vehicle up, because the system will monitor the
state of charge of the battery, and the engine will turn on if
it has to, but we try to, you know, reduce that so that you can
use grid power to recharge the battery.
Mr. Inglis. Right.
Mr. Dalum. I hope that answers your question. It is using
both diesel and the battery system to provide propulsion.
Mr. Inglis. Is there an advantage to going to a system that
uses only electricity for propulsion?
Mr. Dalum. In my view there is in certain areas, and I am
talking more about stop and go driving in urban areas. And
perhaps in what I would call mission that has a, or a job that
has a short duration travel to a job destination, that might be
able to be performed under 100 percent electric operation for a
limited range. And then when you are at the job site, operate
off the battery power, and then return to the garage after the
work is completed and charge up overnight using power from the
grid.
Right now the battery power that we have is not sufficient
really, though, for that kind of application. I think more
research needs to be done to provide that kind of power.
Mr. Inglis. Mr. Smith, that commercial.
Mr. Smith. Yes. Yes, sir. Or even an electrical group down
in your area.
Mr. Inglis. Good.
Mr. Smith. But if I could just comment on what Mr. Dalum
said. I think I would agree. It is a little bit of both science
and economics. You know, to your question, you know, would it
be better just to be all electric, I think that is a question,
though, that you can't meet all of the needs because of the
very wide range of applications that we are--and clearly a
heavy-duty Class eight truck you would never be able to get
enough storage capacity on a vehicle to do what it needs to do.
Some of these work trucks travel far enough distances in any
given day that, again, you couldn't store it.
But there are pick-up and delivery trucks like potentially
a Fed Ex, a UPS truck, depending on their duty cycle and where
they run, you might be able to get into a situation where you
could run that way. But the, you know, the hybrid and having
the ability to regen and recharge batteries on the vehicle I
think will always be a significant portion of the market, and
you will need that.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Smith. I am sure the
Greenville Chamber of Commerce will be most appreciative of
your comments.
I now recognize Mr. McNerney for five minutes.
Battery Technology and Disposal
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the
panel. It has been a very interesting hearing, and it is an
area that a tremendous opportunity for our country. I
particularly want to thank Mr. Parish for coming from CALSTART.
CALSTART is working very hard to reduce emissions in the San
Joaquin Valley, which is one of the worst air pollution regions
in the country. So thank you, Mr. Parish, and Ms. Egbert for
coming from PG&E, my home utility company. I think your
comments on reducing emissions by 50 to 70 percent is very
important, and that is something we need to keep in mind.
Stockton, which is the largest city in my district, has now
the highest gas prices in the country surprisingly, considering
that it also has the highest foreclosure rates, and I have seen
or we have seen a lot of hybrid technology on the highways with
regard to private vehicles, but companies like BNSF are
developing high-speed rail, not high speed but rail hybrid
technology. So there is a lot happening, and it is very
exciting to see it.
My first question is about the battery technology. There
are four things that I am concerned about. That is the cost of
the technology, of course, the reliability, the life, and the
disposal requirements for batteries. Is that something that
they recycled?
Could Mr. Smith or Mr. Dalum take that question?
Mr. Smith. Yeah. I can comment on it. The, you know, the
Eaton system currently is based on lithium ion batteries, and
yes, those are fully recyclable and can be handled safely in an
end-of-life condition. I mean, it is, there are several current
sources in the U.S. where we can take batteries for appropriate
disposal.
Mr. McNerney. I spent much of my career in the
manufacturing industry, and there is a law that the, every time
you double your manufacturing volume, your cost goes down maybe
10 percent or 15 percent. Do you expect that sort of law to
apply? In other words, as we go up the manufacturing volume,
are we going to see the costs go down accordingly? Or is there
some inherent cost barriers that we are going to be facing with
hybrids?
Mr. Smith. I, we definitely believe that, that, you know,
we are currently, the price premium we are, our customers are
paying today is driven mainly by volume issues. As we can
increase the volume of the components, we expect significant
price decreases. It is all based, it is what you said. As we
can drive up the volumes and get into high volume, lower cost
manufacturing processes, the cost will come out.
Mr. McNerney. Is the battery technology improving in a way
that will be parallel with the cost reductions or be
contributing to the cost reductions?
Mr. Smith. Yeah. What we see today, and again, Eaton
Corporation has chosen or chose very early on to pursue lithium
ion batteries as the appropriate technology for this, for these
vehicles, and there is a lot of lithium ion batteries for hand
tools, but they are smaller cells, lower energy capacity. Those
systems are already in very high volume, manufacturing
facilities, but the size that you need for vehicles hasn't made
that transition yet. There is not, you know, there is not the
market demand driving that increase yet, so we are on that
road, but we are not to the point where we can justify spending
the money that you need into the manufacturing facilities to
increase the volume production and then ultimately get the
lower cost.
Mr. McNerney. Mr. Penney, do you have comments on the
battery technology?
Mr. Penney. Absolutely. I was in Tampa at the International
Battery Conference a couple of weeks ago, and as was said, the
cell size are like C and D size batteries, and even for the GM-
Volt that was mentioned, you know, you are talking thousands of
batteries and thousands of interconnects, and every time you
have an interconnect, there is that potential for that string
or module to go bad.
Furthermore, as you package more and more batteries
together for these heavy-truck applications, you have got to
worry about thermal issues. Thermal management of batteries is
something that we at NREL have focused on, are very important.
And then finally there is the control. The Prius, for
example, was mentioned. The state of charge in the Prius, you
only use about a quarter of that battery because the state of
charge swing goes from about 85 percent to 65 percent or 50
percent. So that is only a third of the capacity. On many of
these duty cycles and especially lithium, you can go from 90 to
10, 90 to 10.
And for a refuse example, they cycle that battery a
thousand times a day or that ultra cap. A battery can last
maybe several thousand cycles, several million cycles depending
on that state of charge swing, the temperature, and actually
the life. And the point is that all of these factors are
unknown, and it is extremely difficult for these manufacturers
to take the risk to say that this vehicle will last ``X''
number of miles and put a warranty on it. That warranty cost
and that backing of that component is a very, very risky
business at this point in time.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Penney. My time has expired.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, sir.
The gentlelady from Illinois, Ms. Biggert, you are
recognized for five minutes.
Department of Defense Hybrid Efforts
Ms. Biggert. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am one of those
people that was around in the '70s, sitting in the gas lines
with three little kids in the back, thinking I was never going
to get a full tank of gas again. And at that time everybody
thought that, and then suddenly all of this, the crisis ended,
and we forgot about it. The cars went back to being the SUVs
and the heavy trucks and everything.
And I don't think that that is going to happen again. I
think that we really see that the world has changed and that we
have got to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and gas and
whatever.
But my concern is that, you know, we waited so long, and we
are still waiting, I think. We have got the hybrid car. I have
one, and yet the hybrid plug-in to me seems to be something
that really is going to, you know, I think revolutionize the
industry of both cars and trucks.
But trying to, you know, get the battery small enough and
to last long seems to be taking quite a bit of time, and I
think that if we are going to have the grid, then we have to
have the nuclear power, which is going to create the
electricity rather than some other type of energy.
My question is then how are, well, maybe start with Mr.
Penney, is NREL working with the Army or other, any other
branch of the military in the development of the hybrid truck
technologies in bringing down the costs of the hybrid trucks?
Mr. Penney. Probably the intersection is through, as was
mentioned, the 21st Century Truck Partnership. We get most of
our funding, as you know, from the Department of Energy. We get
no funding from DOD or TACOM.
Ms. Biggert. Is, there was somebody else that mentioned the
military that--Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Yes. CALSTART works with the military and gets
some funding from the military to operate the Hybrid Truck
Users Forum Program. Obviously, we do feel like there does need
to be further development in the battery area, specifically for
medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Right now trucks rely on battery
packs that were predominantly designed for light-duty vehicles.
Even some of the buses that we see up in the northwest and the
Seattle area actually have Prius battery packs on them. These
hybrid electric buses.
And so what is really neat is some specific design of these
battery packs for the medium- and heavy-duty operation, and
then a standardization of that battery pack so we can see the
costs of the battery pack come down and be available to a wide
variety of manufacturers.
Ms. Biggert. Well, the military has been working on finding
lighter-weight material or metals for reducing the weight of
tanks and trucks and whatever. Is the industry looking at that
also, like say titanium?
Mr. Parish. Yes. As a matter of fact, one of our
participants in CALSTART, Alcoa, is very interested in trying
to identify new markets for aluminum in light-weighting of
vehicles, and I think we are going to start to see that emerge
more importantly here as fuel economy becomes more important
for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Ms. Biggert. Will that dramatically reduce the, if we
reduce the weight, then the battery will last longer and would
that aid in the development of the batteries?
Mr. Parish. Well, it is kind of an integrated problem. We
have to approach it from a variety of different perspectives in
order to get the total benefit that we are looking for. So
reducing weight in heavy-duty vehicles, as well as increasing
the efficiency of the battery packs, increasing the efficiency
in the electrification of the auxiliary systems is very
necessary.
And then appropriate application of hybridization to the
duty cycles of the vehicles is very important because it, there
is a wide variety in the way these vehicles are applied, and so
you get a wide variety of benefit from the hybrid system as a
result of the duty cycle of these vehicles. So it is, there is
a broad spectrum of technologies that need to be investigated
in order to be integrated appropriately.
And also, downsizing and optimizing of the engines. Right
now hybrid trucks typically use diesel engines, however, the
fleets are now very interested fleets, such as Fed Ex and UPS,
are very interested in seeing gasoline engines.
Ms. Biggert. How, you mentioned UPS and I might mention
that I do have an International truck in my district, and UPS
has a big facility not too far from us, since everybody is
claiming something in their state, but with that, how, about
how big is a fleet of the UPS with the hybrid trucks versus
regular trucks?
Does anybody know that as we have been talking about them?
Well, I will ask them later then.
Mr. Parish. Well, they have just started incorporating
hybrid trucks. I believe they have maybe on the order of 200
hybrid electric vehicles at this point in time. UPS is also
investigating hydraulic hybrid vehicles, and one of our working
groups is focused on bringing hydraulic hybrid vehicles to the
parcel delivery segment. So they are just being implemented.
They are being tested, but they need some improvements to
really hit full stride.
Ms. Biggert. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you. Mr. Sensenbrenner, you are
recognized for five minutes.
Competitive Grants
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, I will claim Mr. Dalum as a constituent since
everybody is putting their oar in the water here. And I also
was around when we had the gasoline crisis of 1979, and 1980.
It was kind of my baptism of fire as a Member of Congress
because they had this over-complicated allocation system, and
since I represented an area where the population was growing,
the allocations were not enough, and the problems were more
acute. And President Carter actually announced he was having
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing print up gas rationing
coupons. We saw pictures of them in the newspaper. Well, Mr.
Carter didn't make it through the next election. President
Reagan got rid of the allocation system. The gas lines ended,
people were able to have full tanks, the price went down, and I
don't know if they threw the gas rationing coupons in the trash
or not, but we haven't seen them, and that was about 30 years
ago.
Now, that has convinced me that technology is the way to
get out of the pickle that we are in rather than government
regulation or taxes and more red tape and more Congressional
casework for our employees.
Now, the bill that I have circulated around here
establishes five grants for the development of plug-in hybrid
trucks. In your written testimony, Mr. Penney, you state that
there is no single hybrid truck designer system that will meet
all of our transportation needs. And I guess my question I
would like to ask of all five of you in the remainder of the
five minutes that I have is, are five separate grants enough to
be able to have a specific technology developed so that one of
these technologies would end up being suitable for the various
types of trucks that are on the road?
And since you brought the issue up, Mr. Penney, you can go
first.
Mr. Penney. Thank you. You know, if you break down trucks
into various vocations as the class system tries to do, as I
mentioned, each class, each vocation needs a different duty
cycle, just establishing and identifying and understanding that
duty cycle is very difficult. And there probably are more,
circling more than five. I think we identified maybe a dozen
vocations which you would have to focus in on.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Okay. That is asking a little too much,
and the Sensenbrenner rule of legislation is he who sticks
snout in trough too far runs risk of getting head chopped off.
So I guess that the competitiveness in the five grants is
probably necessary.
How about you, Mr. Smith?
Mr. Smith. Yeah. I guess I would say that, you know, is
five the right number? I guess I am not sure. I think really
what we need to look at is identifying the most likely paths to
success or the areas where we are furthest behind or we have
the largest challenges.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. But doesn't the competitive nature that
is contained in the bill take care of that?
Mr. Smith. I guess I am not sure. I need to review it a
little bit further so that I could comment on that.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Competitive grants work very well. Most
of the scientific grants that the Federal Government hands out,
whether it is in basic science or biomedical research.
Mr. Dalum.
Mr. Dalum. I think it is an excellent start. The five
grants in my opinion would allow a variety of different
applications to be submitted, and I am talking about
technologies that might be, as discussed here, for delivery
trucks, utility trucks. There are other applications I think
that could be submitted that could benefit from plug-in hybrid
technology, and those could also be part of that. So I think it
is a very good start.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Ms. Egbert.
Ms. Egbert. I would agree. I think it is a very good start
as well. To start to get some of these technologies on the road
and putting them into real world applications I think will
bring us a long way.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Well, from CALSTART's perspective I think we
would prefer to see a more general type of a funding activity
in looking at medium- and heavy-duty hybrids specifically or
generally improving that general technology with plug-ins being
a subset of that general technology. So we feel that there is
development work that needs to be done, but if we focus
strictly on the plug-in aspect, that will just look at a very
limited portion of the whole spectrum of the activity that
needs to be approached.
So, you know, our feeling is that we would really like to
see something more generalized than specifically plug-in.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Thank you. My time is expired.
Chairman Lampson. I yield myself as Chairman five minutes,
and I yield to Mr. Sensenbrenner for him to continue his
questioning if you would like, Mr. Sensenbrenner.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. No. I am done.
Hybridizing Off-road Work Equipment
Chairman Lampson. All done? Thank you very much. Then I
will, then let me ask any of you who would care to or all of
you if you want, are you aware of work being done to hybridize
other sectors such as heavy off-road work equipment, stationary
power sources or other applications?
Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Yes. As a matter of fact, CALSTART has just
initiated a working group focused on commercial construction
equipment. That is also being sponsored by the U.S. National
Automotive Center, U.S. Army National Automotive Center,
because they are very interested in seeing obviously a fuel use
by their construction equipment being reduced.
So what we have done is started some activity in bringing
together the industry and the manufacturers, as well as the
users of this off-road equipment to see if we can stimulate
some additional activity in hybridization. We have already seen
Volvo initiate a front-end wheeled loader that is hybridized,
and we expect other, particularly U.S. manufacturers start to
enter that as well. John Deere as well as Caterpillar have both
expressed a great interest in off-road equipment hybridization.
Chairman Lampson. The Port of Long Beach, I understand, has
demonstration hybrid tugboats.
Mr. Sensenbrenner. Yes, and they also are hybridizing the
crane lifts for the containers. So we see hybridization
starting to enter in a variety of different modes.
Chairman Lampson. The primary thing that we are going to
have to accomplish to facilitate all of that is going to be the
battery.
Mr. Parish. The battery.
Chairman Lampson. The link to the battery.
Mr. Parish. And the auxiliary systems. You know, we can't
just look at one aspect as Mr. Penney pointed out. If you look
at just one component of the system, then you may not get the
full story. You really need to look at the whole system affects
and look at the variety of different things that are feeding
into that system operation. So it is not only the battery but
it is an optimized engine that operates on the hybrid system.
Right now the engines tend to be a little bit too large for
the systems they are actually running, so you have to optimize
those a little bit better, plus the control. And then also the
electrical auxiliaries. If you could get electrical auxiliary
systems or hydraulically operated auxiliary systems, then that
would improve even more the efficiency gains.
Chairman Lampson. How long away are we from looking right
now, and what is it going to take for us for this function of
money that we have to throw at this to get faster results, get
our in-gain more quickly?
Mr. Parish. Well, I think so. I think the first vehicles we
have seen out there by Eaton and International, which PG&E is
using and a variety of other utilities are using, have shown
the benefit of the hybridization.
However, in order for the next generation to come out, you
know, we saw the first generation of Priuses back in '98, and
then when we saw the second generation of Priuses, which really
mushroomed because of the improvements in the design, we expect
to see something similar in the medium- and heavy-duty truck
category, where this first iteration that has come out, you
know, that it is a great improvement over the conventional
vehicle; however, there needs to be a second iteration, and in
order to accomplish that second iteration, there has to be
significant improvement in a variety of different technologies.
Chairman Lampson. And industry is just not willing or
capable to do enough of that by themselves without government
help?
Mr. Parish. I think they have seen a downturn in their
sales they did last year as a result of the pre-buy for the
2007 emissions regulations. They are going to see another big
pre-buy for 2010 emissions regulations. So right now they are
currently in a very low slump. I think this last year they were
in a very low slump in sales, and so as a result of that they
were probably unable to spend the dollars that they wanted on
research for hybridization, and now they are also spending
quite a few dollars on getting ready for the 2010, emissions
regulations.
So, you know, that is what we are seeing is they are,
rightly they are focused on trying to improve their products
for the emissions regulations, but because of that they don't
have adequate funding, I feel, to do the research necessary to
bring hybrids along.
Chairman Lampson. I would like to pursue that some more but
let me switch.
Just looking at the extensive membership list of CALSTART,
it would seem that the industry efforts are fairly well
integrated when it comes to new technologies. How integrated is
the heavy-truck industry compared to that for passenger
vehicles, and how is it different?
Mr. Smith. If I could comment, I think there is a fairly
significant difference, because if you look at the passenger
car industry, it is mainly vertically integrated. There is, you
know, a high level of oversight, design responsibility,
integration responsibility that is all maintained within the
companies, the Fords, the Toyotas, you know, whoever it is.
In the medium-duty, heavy-duty market it is quite a bit
different, where I think there is a view that they are buying
components that go on the system. They are buying a
transmission or a hybrid system that needs to integrate within
the existing chassis with as little disruption to the chassis
as possible. And I think the systems you see out there, I know
the Eaton system we intentionally try to make it as non-
obtrusive to the engine and the chassis as possible.
So there is some real challenges there because of the lack
of, you know, heavy integration or high level of integration in
the vehicle.
Mr. Dalum. I would like to add that the vehicles that we
are discussing are really, at least in the case of the utility
truck, are built in multiple stages, and what that means is
that an Eaton here may provide componentry to International,
Ford, GM, or another chassis manufacturer. That chassis is then
provided to another company. That company buys that and
integrates their equipment on top of the chassis and finishes
the manufacturing process and then brings it to market.
So unlike some other passenger cars, you have got various
entities along the whole development chain here in going to
market. So it is not as integrated as a passenger car.
Chairman Lampson. Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Yes. One more additional comment. What we found
when we put the International Eaton bucket trucks out, those
were the first hybrid trucks that were really on the road for
commercial use. We found that there was some discord between
the providers as was identified, International, Eaton, and the
actual arm manufacturer in terms of who was responsible for
what if there was a problem.
So unlike in a light-duty vehicle, a Ford or a Chevrolet,
where they are totally responsible for the vehicle, then
because of the integration issues with a truck, it becomes then
necessary to work out who is responsible for the operation of
the different aspects of the vehicle.
So this is one area where some, you know, further
development activity needs to go on in terms to make everybody
comfortable with the product that they are offering and in
terms of establishing who has ultimate responsibility.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you very much.
Mr. Inglis, you are recognized for five minutes.
More on Scientific and Economic Barriers to Deployment
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You know, when it comes to basic science, grants seem to
make a lot of sense. National Science Foundation, for example,
does basic science, and there are no commercialization
opportunities immediately apparent in a lot of that basic
science, and therefore, the government makes it happen by
grants.
When it comes to applied technology like we are discussing
here, I sort of break out in hives at the mention of grants,
because that means grant writers and grant readers, it means
regulations and regulators, it means an awful lot of productive
energy being spent pursuing just a little tad of money.
It seems there are some other ways to get there more
quickly. One of them is tax credits, which if you think about
it, is a very efficient way to deliver a stimulus because then
you don't have writers and readers and regulators and
regulations.
But I wonder really what we are talking about here is
mostly getting to the place where the incumbent technology is
recognized for all the filth that it is. And if you do that,
then suddenly everything else becomes more attractive, and then
you have this incredible rush of creativity and innovation and
jobs being created as we go out to take on that incumbent
technology, which, by the way, is fueled by some people who
don't like us very much.
And so I just wondered whether anybody sees it that way or
if you want to make a spirited defense of a grant kind of
system for applied technologies. I remember opposing in this
committee, I didn't want to because I like her very much, but
Ms. Giffords had a bill involving the installation of solar
panels, training people to install solar panels, and the, I
opposed that, and I lost on a vote about 20 to three or
something.
But it is the application of this principle. Do you really
want to do applied work through grants, or do you want to use a
more efficient way of getting the market to respond?
Mr. Parish, do you want to respond to that?
Mr. Parish. Yes. And typically what we see, and I agree
with in that we need to identify what the real value of
externalities are, because I think that would indeed help these
alternative strategies become more viable. If we could monetize
those externalities that would make it even more viable.
However, what we see in the typical development cycle or
R&D cycle for new technologies is that the government funds the
front end R&D activity to get the basic science, to develop the
technology, and that funding starts dropping off until it hits
a valley of death basically. So the industry is sitting there
with a technology they don't have the funds to bring that
technology to market, and so that is one of the things that
Hybrid Truck Users Forum does is tries to aggregate the pull,
the demand for that particular technology to get it out of the
OEM and get it on the road.
Now, we couldn't have done that without the support of the
U.S. Army National Automotive Center, which provided us funding
to not only run the working groups but also to provide some up-
front buy-down funding. And what we have also learned, so we
feel that the government participation in trying to bridge that
chasm is very important because without that government funding
to help bridge that chasm, the technology could very well just
disappear and not be incorporated at all.
Mr. Inglis. And we are here not talking about, it is not a
question of basic science here. Right? If we were talking the
batteries and better battery efficiencies and things like that,
that would be more basic science. As it is what we are talking
about is the application of that to particular uses, right, in
issues like warranties which Mr. Penney, I think, mentioned. As
I understand it, in the case of the Volt, that is a real issue
is the pricing of the Volt will be affected by the warranty
that they have got to issue.
And so working that out, I mean, just really became more of
the nature of economics and risk kind of allocation rather than
science. The science of better batteries might really change a
lot of what we are talking about. Right?
Mr. Parish. Right. There is a considerable amount of money
being spent by the Department of Energy through the Department
of Energy on battery development, but it is particularly
focused on light-duty batteries. We feel that demonstration
programs are a very important aspect of this activity, and the
government has been involved in light-duty fuel cell
demonstration programs in particular, and we feel like this is
also necessary for the medium- and heavy-duty sector as well.
So it is really a three-pronged approach that we would like
to propose is research and development, which talks about the
science, what is really necessary to bring these advanced
components into being. Number two is demonstration programs so
we can actually get the vehicles on the road and get people
interested in seeing how they operate and seeing how they
actually operate in service, and then number three, incentives
to make the purchase. And what we found from the 2005 Energy
Bill is that tax incentives do work for some segments, but not
all segments. What we have seen is that for those who cannot
take advantage of the tax incentives, they were able to be
taken by the seller of the vehicle, however, that savings was
not passed along to the buyer of the vehicle. So it didn't
fulfill the role it was needed to at that point in time.
So we would like to see something that would be more of a
rebate or something along the lines that would make sure that
the end-buyer, the end-user did, in fact, see the reduction in
the cost.
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Lampson. Ms. Biggert, you are recognized for five
minutes.
Role for the DOE National Laboratories
Ms. Biggert. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am concerned that
we do need, that there is still basic research that needs to be
done, and we haven't completed that, and that is, I am
concerned with a question that I asked Mr. Penney before. And
still is what is preventing the DOE and the Department of
Defense from collaborating, and I think that the public and the
private sector would benefit from a collaborative R&D effort.
But my next question then is, is there a role for
universities and national labs to play in the competitive grant
program created by the Sensenbrenner bill, maybe as research
partners, and as I look at the bill, it talks about the five
grants, and then it talks about partners, which include other
entities including manufacturers and electric utility
companies. But I think that there certainly is a role for the
labs and for the universities, which really the grant program
would then pull the technology out of the labs and get the
technologies into the marketplace if we were to look at that.
I would like, if anybody would like to respond to that.
Mr. Penney. Certainly. As Mr. Inglis pointed out, you know,
we need to work together, but at the same time I don't want to
waste my energy writing proposals for Eaton to send its
proposal to get a thing, and then someone else comes to me, and
I want our staff and our capability to be available to
everybody, and I don't want to waste the energy and the money
to have to use our staff writing proposals through competitive
grants. Personally. For the lab point of view. We like to make
ourselves available to all companies, and it is an open source,
open knowledge, education, and work through a competitive
process, through non-disclosures, et cetera.
Ms. Biggert. I don't think I was thinking of the lab as
actually writing the grants or anything. It would be still
the--but to be maybe a research partner that they would work
with.
Mr. Penney. Right, but there has to be a flow of money, and
part of the disincentive for Eaton, most of these grants or
most of the programs are cost-shared, 50 percent cost-shared.
We can't cost share. We can't use government money to, you
know, cost share government money funding. So as a result it
puts a burden, an extra burden on an Eaton or an International
or a truck company to work with us or select us because they
have to come up with our cost share. So that disincentive needs
to be taken away.
Ms. Biggert. Mr. Dalum.
Mr. Dalum. Yes. In my opinion the universities and national
labs can play a role in this. I am talking about testing,
modeling, other types of activities that could help promote and
improve the technology.
Ms. Biggert. I know that Argonne Lab does have the Freedom
Car that they do the testing for a lot.
Mr. Dalum. Right. And there are other universities I am
aware of in Wisconsin that are working the hydraulics and other
technologies that could be applied perhaps with research into
this application.
Ms. Biggert. Would anybody like to comment on the
coordination between the DOE and DOD?
Mr. Parish.
Mr. Parish. Yes. I think that has been attempted in 21st
century truck and I think as I had stated previously, the
vision of that particular activity was very good, and I think
it was a good forum by which there could have been a greater
amount of interaction.
However, in actual practice it didn't turn out quite that
way, but I think that given another try at it, you know, there
is a possibility that we could make that happen. I think
perhaps with more visionary leadership and stronger leadership
for the 21 CT that would, in fact, happen.
Plus, if we had some real funding that the--a consortium
could work with to start identifying what real projects were
viable, do some competitive grants for different aspects of the
program, I think that would be very worthwhile. You could have
different agencies looking at different aspects of the whole
problem.
Ms. Biggert. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Lampson. I want to thank everyone for taking the
time to appear before us today, this committee.
Under the rules of the Committee, the record will be held
open for two weeks for Members to submit additional statements
and any additional questions that they might have for the
witnesses.
This hearing is now adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:37 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]