Mack Trucks Displays Prototype Class 8 Heavy-Duty Hybrid

29 September 2005

Class 8 Hybrid Prototype

Mack Trucks, in conjunction with the US Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO), displayed on Capitol Hill a prototype mild-hybrid electric powertrain for Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. The powertrain is mounted in an Air Force R-11 6,000-gallon capacity refueler truck built on a Mack RD 6x4 chassis.

Enova Systems supplied the hybrid drive, which will be dual-use—Mack is also investigating its application in refuse haulers, as well as the military application.

Mack is the leading manufacturer of refuse trucks in North America with more than 70 percent of the market.

Post-transmission parallel hybrid drive configuration

The hybrid uses a post-transmission parallel configuration—the 25/80 kW electric drive motor connects to the driveline downstream of the transmission.

Although the current application is a mild hybrid, offering only a boost on acceleration and regenerative braking, work is continuing on developing a full hybrid application that could launch the truck with only electric power.

The majority of this additional development work is being performed in Hagerstown at Volvo Powertrain North America, supplier of engines to Mack Trucks, Inc. The Volvo Group acquired Mack in 2000.