Now, low-emissions drive systems made by the leading worldwide manufacturer of commercial vehicles are to be used in further product segments and regions. To underscore its broad-based commitment, Daimler AG presented a total of 16 trucks and buses from the Freightliner, Mitsubishi Fuso, Mercedes-Benz, Orion, and Thomas Built Buses brands at the start of the "Shaping Future Transportation" initiative in November 2007. The following is a brief summary of the future-oriented trucks and buses.

 

The Omnibus Mitsubishi Fuso Aero HEV is in regular daily service in three municipal fleets in Japan. Five vehicles have covered a total of 150,000 kilometers each without difficulty. At the end of September 2007, Mitsubishi Fuso presented the second generation under the name Aero Star Eco Hybrid. Thanks to fuel-conserving downsizing, a compact 4.9-liter four-cylinder diesel engine provides enough power for the revised drive technology of the series hybrid. The two electric motors for the drive system generate 79 kW each. The bus can be started up using electricity alone, and all accessory units are also electrical.

Mitsubishi Fuso already made a splash with the Canter Eco Hybrid in July 2006: The first hybrid drive system production truck from Daimler Trucks was the first truck in its class to meet the current strict emissions standards in Japan. Since production started, around 200 vehicles have been manufactured and are being used by customers.

Initial testing in a fleet project in Europe started at the beginning of 2008, using a European variant of the Canter Eco Hybrid. Ten hybrid trucks adapted to meet European emissions regulations will be tested in several fleets for three years.

Mitsubishi Fuso displayed the first hybrid concept model of a dump truck at the Tokyo Motor Show 2007. An outstanding feature of the Canter Eco-D is the structure’s electrically operated dump function. As a result, noise and emissions are reduced significantly, as the required energy is obtained from the batteries while the diesel engine remains turned off during dumping. The benefits of the Canter Eco Hybrid are retained in the drive system of the vehicle.

The medium-duty truck from Freightliner demonstrates the additional potential of a hybrid drive system: a power takeoff can be used to electrically operate add-on assemblies, such as a cherry-picker for maintenance of electricity lines and pylons. The M2 Hybrid is currently performing successfully in fleet tests; 150 vehicles are planned for 2008. Series production is scheduled to start in 2009. The diesel engine originates in Europe and is designed to meet U.S. emissions standards.

In North America, Freightliner produces chassis for special distribution vehicles (“walk in van”) through its subsidiary Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC). There is also one variant among these delivery vehicles with a parallel hybrid drive system. The alternative van featuring a box-body has proven its reliability and economy in extensive customer testing over a three-year period: Its availability of 99 percent demonstrates the impressive capacity of the hybrid drive system. Over 100 vehicles are already in use.

The U.S. brand Thomas Built Buses is the largest manufacturer of school buses worldwide, with annual production figures of around 15,000 vehicles. The Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 with a hybrid drive system combines economy with environmental friendliness. Similarly to the heavy-duty vans and trucks from Freightliner, Thomas Built Buses use a parallel hybrid. With its additional electric drive system, the bus requires only a compact diesel engine.

The world market leader for buses with hybrid drive systems is North America-based Orion, which belongs to Daimler Buses. Orion manufactured its first hybrid buses in 1995. Over 1,100 current-model vehicles are already in regular service, while an additional 1,500 have been ordered. The series hybrid drive reduces fuel consumption by around 25 percent. The Orion hybrid buses have proven to be more reliable than comparable diesel buses and now cover around 50 million kilometers annually.

Deutsche Post was the first customer to start testing the prototype of the Atego BlueTec Hybrid at the end of January this year, using it as a distribution vehicle. Fuel savings of up to 20 percent can be expected thanks to the parallel hybrid concept. During development of the drive system the engineers benefited from experiences in Japan, where around 200 light-duty Daimler Trucks featuring hybrid drive systems are already on the road.

Designed for higher load capacities, the Atego 12 ton BlueTec Hybrid is a perfect example of downsizing: the drive system combination of the diesel engine and electric motor provides the performance of a six-cylinder unit. The initial vehicles will be tested by customers in 2008.

This regular-service bus is the first articulated bus worldwide featuring a series diesel-electric hybrid drive and four electric wheel hub motors. The accessory units are electrically driven. The bus can cover short distances in electric mode, protecting the environment and producing zero emissions. Its developers anticipate fuel savings of up to 30 percent in comparison to a diesel engine. The prototype will be tested by customers in 2008; a small-batch series is planned as of 2009.

For several years, the alternative to the diesel engine has been the natural gas drive system. Several hundred Citaro buses powered by natural gas are already in service all over Europe. They fulfill the Euro-4 or EEV emissions standards. The engines, working on the SI principle, generate very high performance thanks to exhaust turbochargers. Particulate emissions are practically eliminated, and nitrogen oxide emissions are significantly lower than in diesel engines. In addition, the engines are very quiet.

The Econic NGT truck, a municipal vehicle featuring a natural gas drive system, fulfills the strict EEV environmental requirements as standard. The lean combustion and multipoint gas injection reduce fuel consumption. In addition, the unusually quiet Econic NGT features powerful acceleration thanks to an exhaust turbocharger. Around 500 of the standard natural gas trucks are currently in use.