The hybrid recovery truck. Click to enlarge.

The debut of the colorful white and green vehicle as part of Miller’s 12-truck fleet at the famed Daytona International Speedway was so successful that Miller announced plans to have it added to the company’s fleet of race recovery vehicles that will be operating throughout 2009. Miller supplies race recovery trucks for a large number of NASCAR events.

Towing and recovery is a new application for trucks equipped with our hybrid power systems and we are looking forward to positive field results. Towing and recovery vehicles of this type are well-suited for Eaton's hybrid electric system. The duty cycle typically associated with these vehicles takes advantage of the fuel saving and emission reduction features of the hybrid system. Add to that the use of the ePTO function of our hybrid systems to power the towing equipment, and you have yourself a very clean and highly efficient vehicle.

—Scott Davis, manager for Eaton’s Hybrid Power business unit in North America

Eaton employs parallel-type diesel-electric hybrid architecture, incorporating an electric motor/generator between the output of an automated clutch and input of the automated transmission. The system recovers energy normally lost during braking and stores the energy in batteries. When electric torque is blended with engine torque, the stored energy is used to improve fuel economy and vehicle performance for a given speed or used to operate the vehicle with electric power only. The system can also be designed to provide energy for use during engine-off worksite operations, as in the case of Miller’s vehicles, further reducing noise, emissions and fuel costs.