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UPS testing plastic trucks that cut weight by 1,000 pounds [w/video]

Chris Shunk — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

UPS tests composite delivery truck - Click above to watch the video after the jump

UPS is known for its amazing level of efficiency, and that reputation could soon extend to fuel savings thanks to a prototype dubbed CV-23. The delivery company has ordered five of these prototypes to be tested through the end of 2011, but this is no ordinary next-generation package hauler.

The CV-23 weighs about a thousand pounds less than the typical UPS truck, thanks to the fact that it is made with composite materials instead of metal. The lightweight materials could help UPS deliver up to 40 percent better fuel economy than the current UPS fleet truck. Those kinds of fuel economy gains can pay huge dividends in rural areas where trucks are required to drive large distances. And since the body panels are plastic, bumpers, panels and other parts can be replaced easily.

Hit the jump to watch video of the CV-23 as it is tested by UPS management. If the company is sufficiently impressed, the guys and gals in brown could order more trucks, potentially saving 84 million gallons of fuel per year. We're guessing drivers will want to see some crash test data before seeing what brown plastic can do for them, but otherwise, this seems like a pretty good idea.

Continue reading UPS testing plastic trucks that cut weight by 1,000 pounds [w/video]

UPS testing plastic trucks that cut weight by 1,000 pounds [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 May 2011 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UPS truck gets SHO transplant, flame job

Zach Bowman — Sun, 08 May 2011 11:26:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc.

When it comes to getting packages where they're going, few crews are more on point than the team at UPS. Whether it's across the state or around the world, Brown gets your gear where it's going with a quickness. The company has used a fleet of proprietary delivery trucks since 1966, but judging from what American Trucker just discovered, someone's been turning some wrenches after hours. As it turns out, UPS has its own Hot Rod delivery special. Along with one wicked flame paint job and wild wheels, the beast packs something truly under its fiberglass hood.

Instead of a tired old diesel mill, a super-high output Ford Racing V8 dumps 500 horsepower on the rear wheels via a manual gearbox. As if that wasn't enough to raise some eyebrows, the engine supposedly runs off of straight alcohol for a clean-burning machine that can light the rear rubber on command. We dig the truck, but if it were ours, we'd be rocking stock wheels and a standard coat of UPS brown paint for the ultimate sleeper. Head over to SPEED to check out the video for yourself.

UPS truck gets SHO transplant, flame job originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 May 2011 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: What can Brown do for motorsports? UPS converts truck into racer

Chris Shunk — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising

UPS is one efficient company. Brown can deliver millions of packages a day to just about anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the big brown delivery trucks are slow as molasses, and getting stuck behind one in rush hour is an exercise in frustration. UPS management obviously understands the truck's shortcomings, as it hired German tuners to transform the standard UPS truck into something much faster.

The package hauler was gutted, and its anemic, yet efficient, four-banger was replaced with a 425-hp V8. The added weight of the engine was counter-balanced by cutting out all non-essential parts, including the passenger seat. Handling was also improved with Koni shocks, a new rear axle, improved springs and tires, and bigger brakes. The end result? One badass UPS delivery machine that sounds more like a muscle car than a supersized mail machine. Hit the jump to view the UPS overhaul. It won't make you want to trade in your weekend racer, but it could provide hope for faster deliveries in the future.

[Source: YouTube via Zercustoms]

Continue reading VIDEO: What can Brown do for motorsports? UPS converts truck into racer

VIDEO: What can Brown do for motorsports? UPS converts truck into racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eaton developing hydraulic hybrid systems

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Technology

Eaton, a company primarily known for making superchargers that make your vehicle go like stink, but guzzle even more gas, is also in the series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) business. The drive system in a hydraulic hybrid replaces the conventional drivetrain; the engine is effectively rendered a "pump" for the hydraulics, and energy is stored in two different accumulators that then power the wheels. Fuel savings of 50-70% are achieved by the system being much lighter than a traditional drivetrain, along with regenerative braking and the fact that the engine can be turned off when stopped and when decelerating.

The first real-world application of Eaton's SHH will be in a number of UPS delivery trucks next year. No auto manufacturer has any plans to create an SHH -- because of the lack of batteries, when the engine is cut off, electrical systems like the radio and climate control are also shut down. Eaten has a cooperative working agreement with the EPA to develop its hydraulic hybrid system, and has selected IBM to develop software to refine the system. Thanks for the tip, Gavin!

[Source: Eaton]

Eaton developing hydraulic hybrid systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Left Out: UPS software minimizes left turns

Noah Joseph — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:32:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

What can Brown do for you? Not make left turns, for a start.

UPS uses proprietary software it calls "package flow" to increase efficiency in its logistical operations, including mapping out routes for each of its 95,000 delivery trucks. According to UPS, the software has already cut out some 28.5 million miles, 3 million gallons of fuel and 31,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by optimizing the most efficient routes for delivery. The next step is to minimize the number of left-hand turns its trucks have to make.

Hanging a left entails more waiting at traffic lights and for circulation to clear at intersections than taking right turns, so UPS is reprogramming Package Flow to favor right turns instead. Naturally, it won't send its trucks around in circles if a left turn is in order, but seeing a big brown truck turn left could become a rarer sight from now on.

[Source: The New York Times Magazine via Winding Road]

Left Out: UPS software minimizes left turns originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota's NASCAR presence has other teams sweating

Eric Bryant — Sun, 14 May 2006 11:35:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Toyota

Toyota, currently running roughshod over other automakers in the showrooms, will be hitting NASCAR next year with the goal of doing the same thing to its competition on the track. Word around the pits is that this is causing sleepless nights for other teams, but not for reasons one would think. The concern here isn't the lap times, but simple economics - if Toyota subsidizes its Nextel Cup teams as it does for its teams in the Craftsman Truck series, the support that a big-ticket sponsor has to offer up could be cut in half from the current yearly value of $16M or so. Yanking several million dollars out from under the currently-established teams would be a catastrophic event with the potential of completing shaking up the pecking order. The first bit of evidence in support of this theory is the recent decision by UPS to defect to Michael Waltrip's Toyota team; a decision that certainly could have been fueled by the promise of a greatly-reduced sponsorship bill.

If indeed Toyota offers significant financial support to its teams - which it currently claims is not in the budget - it is unlikely that other manufacturers will step up and start cutting their own checks (as it is, rumors are already flying that one of the Big 3 is already looking to pull out of the Nextel Cup).

[Source: USA Today]

Toyota's NASCAR presence has other teams sweating originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 May 2006 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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