Detroit's NextEnergy hosts the Michigan Clean Fleet Conference today as a National Transportation Week event.
The goal, says NextEnergy's market development director Dan Radomski, is to "educate fleet managers, both public -- like municipalities – and private as to what options exist: biofuels, hybrids and retrofits for idle reduction."
Currently, the organization is working on idle reduction techniques with local school bus fleets and Canton-based AD Transport, an automotive shipping truck fleet. Radomski explains the basic principle behind such technology. "It keeps the diesel engine from running when the truck or bus is idling. There is a small motor or generator that uses thermal recovery – waste heat – and smaller sips of diesel to power the small motor for the cab operations. The unit can also help the engine warm up."
He notes that some trucks idle for significant lengths of time. With AD Transport, NextEnergy has worked with 11 trucks, one of which had the highest idle time: 60% of its running time. With the addition of the idle reduction motor, fuel consumption was seriously cut.
Radomski says, "The truck used to go through a gallon of gas every hour of idling. Now, it is going through a gallon of gas every 24 hours of idling, saving AD $7,700 per year in fuel. That's reducing fuel consumption and reducing emissions." AD plans to add the technology to 200 more trucks in its fleet.
As for alternative fuel options, there will be biodiesel vehicles as well as hybyid electric and hydraulic hybrid vehicles available for the fleet managers to test drive. Radomski estimates the event will draw 150 decision-makers.
Source: Dan Radomski, NextEnergy
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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