EPA lab's vehicles finally about to make it to the road

A diesel-hydraulic passenger car that gets 80 mpg? A hybrid garbage truck? These are two vehicles built and tested by the EPA in recent years, and it is finally time for one of their prototypes to make it to the streets. The first will be the garbage truck, which is 30 percent more fuel efficient. The hydraulic-hybrid-transmission system will be made and sold by Eaton Corp. and will be installed in garbage trucks by Peterbilt. Peterbilt has already begun trying to line up sales of the trucks and said that Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles have indicated the greatest interest among American cities, according to the Wall Street Journal. Other possible buyers include the Chinese government, which may use the technology in a fleet of hydraulic-hybrid buses during the 2008 Olympics. The WSJ article shows how the EPA's test department's work is finally paying off in the real world as high gas prices and high consumer interest in green technologies have finally convinced automakers to give different power systems a chance.
[Source: Wall Street Journal]