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EPA, industry partners offer sneak preview of unique Michigan-developed green technology for moving cargo containers EPA Patented Technology Saves Fuel and Reduces Emissions

Release Date: 04/16/2009
Contact Information: William Omohundro,312-353-8254,omohundro.william@epa.gov (NCDC) Jeffra Rockwell,734-214-4401,rockwell.jeffra@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 09-OPA066

CHICAGO (April 16, 2009) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its industry partners will offer a preview of a leading edge, pollution-saving truck for transferring cargo containers next week at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Mich.

The special cargo mover, called a series hydraulic hybrid yard hostler, will be exhibited Monday through Thursday in exhibition booth 1425. The booth will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday. After the exhibition, the vehicle will leave Michigan for field testing in New Jersey.

EPA and its industry partners have applied EPA's patented series hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology to the heavy-duty truck as part of the EPA National Clean Diesel Campaign's Clean Ports USA program.

Hostlers are large, off-road vehicles used to transfer cargo containers at marine ports, rail yards, warehouses and distribution centers. The trucks spend about half of their time idling and contribute to air pollution generated in ports throughout the world.

EPA's unique series HHV power train efficiently recovers, stores and reuses braking power while significantly reducing idling and optimizing engine operation to use less fuel and reduce air pollution. HHV technology has been demonstrated and field tested in a number of vehicles, including package delivery vehicles and refuse trucks. EPA believes this vehicle design can improve the efficiency of the yard hostler operation by 50-60 percent.

Several EPA programs, including National Clean Diesel Campaign and its Clean Ports USA, Clean Automotive Technology, Office of International Affairs, and EPA Region 2 (New York and New Jersey) collaborated on this project. Industry technical partners include APM Terminals, Parker-Hannifin, Kalmar Industries, FEV Inc., R.H. Sheppard Co. Inc. and Webasto. Additional support was provided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

EPA established the National Clean Diesel Campaign to promote diesel emission reduction strategies. Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important air quality challenges facing the country today. NCDC includes innovative programs to address the millions of diesel engines already in use as well as regulatory programs to address new diesel engines. Information about the program and clean diesel technologies is at https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.