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EPA Displays the First Advanced Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle
Release Date: 03/08/2004
Contact Information:
Contact: John Millett, 202-564-7842 / millett.john@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C - March 8, 2004) The first advanced hydraulic hybrid sport utility vehicle will be publicly displayed by EPA, along with its partners, at the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress on March 8-11 in Detroit, Michigan. This vehicle demonstrates that hydraulic hybrid technology has the potential to dramatically and cost-effectively improve the fuel economy of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) while at the same time improving performance. This technology responds to President Bush’s energy and climate goals by reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are very excited about the potential for hydraulic hybrids in consumer and commercial applications,” said Margo Oge, Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “This achievement builds on more than a decade of leadership by EPA and its partners in optimizing hydraulic technology for vehicle applications and bringing them into the marketplace.”
The demonstration vehicle uses EPA’s full hydraulic hybrid technology integrated in a stock SUV. Over the last decade, EPA has collaborated with many organizations to develop hydraulic hybrid technology including the Army, Ford, Eaton Corp., Parker-Hannafin Corp., FEV Engine Technology, Inc., Michigan State University, Ricardo Inc., Southwest Research Institute and the University of Wisconsin.
The vehicle on display is a hydraulic hybrid, reported to achieve a 55 percent improvement in fuel economy. This hydraulic hybrid technology is projected to increase the cost of a large SUV by about $600 which would be quickly recouped by the consumer’s lower fuel and maintenance costs.
Hydraulic hybrids are just one of several new clean diesel automotive technologies being developed by automakers, other companies and the Federal Government. Other technologies include electric hybrids, clean diesel engines, fuel cells and ongoing improvements to conventional gasoline engines. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology.htm .
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