Hybrid Garbage Truck

New York City is currently testing one of the first Hybrid Garbage Trucks. They've got a 120-kilowatt electric motor supplementing a 6-cylinder diesel engine. Garbage men testing out the truck commented that it stopped and idled much like a regular garbage truck and was capable of crushing and storing up to 13 tons of trash, but the hybrid accelerated with less effort. The electric motor cannot drive the truck by itself — its job is to lower the demand on the diesel engine, which improves fuel economy.


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New York City paid about $500,000 for the Mack hybrid, more than twice the $225,000 that a diesel-only model costs. Government grants covered the difference. Fun fact: FedEx has 325 hybrid trucks.