Wal-Mart tests diesel-electric trucks

By Jonathan Birchall in New York
Published: February 2 2009 23:59

Wal-Mart is testing hybrid diesel-electric trucks in a step towards extending the energy saving technology to the workhorses of the US road transport system.
Chris Sultemeier, head of Wal-Mart’s transport, said on Monday the retailer would operate trucks in different US cities over the coming year, to “determine if these technologies will help reduce our environmental footprint, are viable for our business and provide a return on investment”.

The new-generation power systems have been developed by some of the largest US truck, engine and drive-train makers with support from the retailer, which operates one of the largest US truck fleets, with over 6,500 large trucks.
The success of Toyota’s Prius passenger car has raised the public profile of hybrid technology. But its use in larger vehicles has been focused on lighter delivery trucks and buses that make frequent stops, rather than on the big class-8 trucks designed for long-distance cruising.
Wal-Mart is carrying out off-road tests on a class-8 truck that switches between its electrical drive and its diesel engine, by using electrical power to accelerate to up to 40mph and then shifting to diesel power for cruising at higher speeds.
The retailer is also testing five Peterbilt trucks with “hybrid assist” power trains , in which electrical power is used to boost diesel power during acceleration and when climbing hills.
Mr Sultemeier said Wal-Mart was targeting fuel savings of 20-25 per cent for the full hybrid model, and 5-10 per cent for the “hybrid-assist” truck. He said he hoped to have a view on the feasibility of the full hybrid model by the summer, after extensive track testing.
“If there is a success with the . . . true hybrid vehicle that might be our strategy going forward, versus what I would call the more interim strategy which is the hybrid assist,” he said.
Wal-Mart says it has achieved more than a 25 per cent increase in efficiency in its truck fleet over the past three years. It is now seeking to double its fleet efficiency by 2015. The retailer is currently testing trucks powered by reclaimed cooking oil and natural gas.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009