Sunday, December 6, 2009

Hybrid Garbage Trucks

New Yorkers saw the new hybrid diesel-electric powertrain garbage truck roll through the streets for the first time today. One of only a few hybrid garbage trucks, this one looked just like regular trucks, with the exception of the giant mural painted on its side. Just like everyday garbage trucks, this one can compact and store up to 13 tons of garbage. Though it may not seem like a big difference for a few of these to replace regular garbage trucks, the savings of energy is tremendous. One hybrid 18 wheeler can save more fuel than two dozen hybrid regular cars. That's a lot of Pruises. Large and heavy duty trucks consume about a third of the nation's total fuel, so if more of these trucks switched to hybrid energies, the fuel savings would be great. Right now in New York City, they are testing different models to determine which one saves the most energy.

This replacement of garbage trucks is definitely a small step towards achieving a green evolution. I especially liked how they are testing different models to see which one is the most green. Though I always knew trucks used a lot of gasoline, I never knew that they could consume a third of our nation's fuel. I think it would be a great idea to see some of these in California after they determine which model is the most efficient.

6 comments:

Mei Mei Or said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mei Mei Or said...

This is amazing news. This is such a smart idea because garbage trucks drive to literally every house, store, company etc. using tons of gas. Especially because it is necessary for garbage trucks to be huge(un-like those hummers and SUV's that people drive...) I find this very innovative.

I guess the next step is for us to become more efficient with our products and reduce the amount we throw away.

Unknown said...

Great news - we actually have these here already! The Allied Waste garbage truck that comes down my street has colorful words painted on the side that say "Powered by Bio-Diesel!" I've seen them for at least the last six months, if not a year.

prestonchan said...

I don't think biodiesel is the same as a diesel hybrid. But it's nice to know that California's garbage trucks are at least somewhat green!

A diesel hybrid car or truck combines the power of electricity with the power produced from stored energy in the diesel fuel.

I think that "biodiesel" simply means that the fuel is made from a biological source. I could be wrong though.

Serena said...

This is so cool! I think it would be a great idea to have hybrid garbage trucks since they drive around so much to help empty out our trash. If they can limit the use of so much gas, it can be beneficial to our environment.

Hrm, that really makes me wonder too Preston.

Unknown said...

Thanks for clarifying that, Preston!