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Hybrid truck shows it’s tough enough for government work
With just 7,300 miles on its odometer, one of the newest King County
work trucks is already proving its worth.
“When I found out that Kenworth was about to unveil its first production of hybrid trucks, I wanted King County to be the first governmental agency to purchase one,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. KCDOT Director Harold Taniguchi said Sims has pushed the depart-ment to continue its efforts to be one of the greenest transportation agencies in the nation. “King County was the first governmental agency in the United States to purchase and put in service hybrid articulated buses. It was one of the first agencies in the State of Washington to purchase hybrid automobiles, and a plug-in hybrid auto,” said Taniguchi. “It is now again the first to purchase and put in use a hybrid truck.” Fleet Administration Division Director Windell Mitchell said the new lift truck has already achieved a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption compared to conventional diesel trucks in the fleet. This contributes to more efficient operations by the crews, because they can remain in the field for longer periods of time without refueling.
“On our non-hybrid trucks, the motor has to be running for the lift to operate,” said Mitchell. “With this truck, the lift operates off the energy stored in the hybrid battery. That’s both cheaper and quieter.” Mitchell headed up efforts to form a consortium of local and state government agencies interested in taking hybrid vehicle technology to the next level with the production of medium and heavy-duty work trucks. Together, they have opened the market for hybrid diesel-electric truck purchases, and also serve as a testing ground to provide on-the-road experience, data collection, and analysis of the new trucks. Through the purchasing power of the consortium, Mitchell was able to negotiate a deal so that King County did not have to pay a premium for the hybrid system. The new Kenworth lift truck will soon be joined in the fleet by and International hybrid vehicle hauler, and an International lift truck will come on board this summer. As other trucks in the fleet age and need to be replaced, Mitchell says the plan is to purchase new hybrid trucks whenever possible. “The vision and pioneering spirit of Executive Ron Sims really empowers us to embrace cutting-edge technologies,” said Mitchell. “His leadership has made King County a national leader and pacesetter in environmentally friendly and responsible transportation services.”
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