Hydraulic hybrid technology is moving ahead on a series of fronts, building on its commercial successes with garbage trucks and parcel delivery vehicles.
Now the focus is on proving actual day-to-day performance in these heavier vehicles, where the high power density of fluid power technology shines the best, while laying the groundwork to move the technology into lighter vehicles.
Saving fuel is the obvious benefit of using hydraulic hybrid systems in refuse trucks, along with fewer brake repairs due to regenerating braking energy, but now productivity gains are starting to take the leading position in the value proposition.
This year, the big news for hydraulic hybrid technology came when Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced a cooperative agreement to develop and adapt the technology for the light-duty auto market. Using the EPA's own patented technology, the partnership's goal is to move the technology from the lab to the street and design a Chrysler minivan as a demonstration vehicle.
Expectations are that hydraulic hybrid technology can increase fuel efficiency 30-35 percent overall and up to 60 percent in city driving, and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.
The EPA is a leader when it comes to developing hydraulic hybrid technologies, specifically series hydraulic hybrid systems. The EPA has been working on them since the late 1990s, teaming with manufacturers such as Eaton and Parker Hannifin.
Those look like some pretty high barriers to use in smaller passenger vehicles: difficulty in shrinking everything into a smaller package, and especially the noise. No matter the frequency, some of us definitely don't want a lot of noise and find any highly irritating. And for others of us, we need to hear what kids or other people are saying inside the vehicle, so adding noise to the internal environment sounds like an even worse idea. I hope the auto makers considering the use of this technology in passenger cars are going to do some thorough pre-market user studies.
The technology started in heavy equipment, such as John Deere's hydrostatic drive. Anyone who has operated equipment with and without hydraulic drive will swear by it. While my experience has been off-road use, I am optimistic about how on-road use will work. This could very well cause a paradigm shift for, at least, heavy trucks.The auto market could be a little more resistant though; it tends to be more traditional.
This is one of those "V-8 moments," where you think to yourself that of course it makes sense that hybrid drive trains come to heavier trucks. In large fleets, even small fuel savings add up. Indeed, the economics probably make far more sense than they do for personal passenger cars, where you have trouble amortizing the cost of the vehicle versus the fuel savings. Not so in heavier trucks in large fleets, where the numbers work out much more quickly/easily.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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