Freightliner Trucks has announced its Class 6 Business Class M2 106 Hybrid drop frame beverage truck, designed for fuel savings and reduced emissions. It features the Eaton medium-duty hybrid electric system and is built specifically to meet the challenges of urban beverage deliveries, the company says.
 
The hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) features a diesel engine coupled with an electric motor/generator and batteries that works in line with the engine and transmission enabling operation with electric or diesel power either separately or together.
 
The M2 106 can boast up to a 30-percent savings in fuel consumption and up to an 87-percent reduction in idling time, reports the company. An added benefit is that the new truck produces less noise allowing for quieter loading and unloading.
 
Company engineers maximized the amount of space of the 12-bay beverage body by mounting most of the integrated hybrid components underneath and behind the cab.
 
Designed for easy access to cargo, the drop frame truck maximizes load capacity while maintaining superior maneuverability, visibility and driver comfort. The aerodynamic aluminum cab offers a 55-degree wheel cut, sloped hood and a 2,500-square-inch windshield for visibility and increased safety.
 
In addition, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) is offering a compressed natural gas (CNG) powered chassis for the walk-in van marketplace that complements the existing hybrid chassis it offers.
 
The MT-45 and MT-55 CNG-powered trucks have the 5.9-liter, 6-cylinder Cummins B Gas Plus engine that produces 195 to 230 horsepower with a torque range of 420 to 500 lb.-ft. The new CNGs carry the same payload as the diesel-powered units, 10,000 to 19,000 lb. with the same GVWR range of 14,140 to 30,000 lb.
 
The CNG fuel system includes all stainless steel fuel and vent lines, with Dynetek seamless aluminum fuel cylinders covered with a carbon-fiber shell designed for corrosion resistance and strength.

Kenworth Goes Green

Kenworth is expanding its presence in the growing market for environmentally friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles by beginning production of its T800 LNG trucks at the manufacturing facility in Renton, Wash. in 2009. Under an exclusive agreement with Westport Innovations Inc., KW will use Westport's LNG fuel system technology adapted for the Cummins ISX 15-liter engine. The Westport LNG system consists of  LNG tanks, proprietary Westport fuel injectors, cryogenic fuel pump and associated electronic components.