As part of its ongoing efforts to green its delivery fleet, Coca-Cola is adding 10 heavy duty hybrid trucks to its South Florida operations. Its national goal of 120 vehicles appears to have increased to 142 according to an article in the Miami Herald which discusses the Florida addition. The trucks are being built by Kenworth in Canada and use a drivetrain developed by Eaton. They can run on electric power alone up to 30 or 35 mph, make use of regenerative braking and are said to reduce fuel consumption by 37 percent and emissions by 32 percent.
Like all hybrids the initial purchase cost of the vehicles are higher. These trucks are said to be priced at $85,000 instead of $50,000 for the regular model. Although the company should make up some of that difference in lower fuel and maintenance cost, it can also point to value gained in green cachet by being able to advertise its environmental efforts on the trucks as well as being able to boast of having "the largest heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America.'' The company's nemesis, Pepsi, says that it is testing hybrid technologies, but its efforts appear to have been mainly directed at weight reduction.
[Source: Miami Herald]
Like all hybrids the initial purchase cost of the vehicles are higher. These trucks are said to be priced at $85,000 instead of $50,000 for the regular model. Although the company should make up some of that difference in lower fuel and maintenance cost, it can also point to value gained in green cachet by being able to advertise its environmental efforts on the trucks as well as being able to boast of having "the largest heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America.'' The company's nemesis, Pepsi, says that it is testing hybrid technologies, but its efforts appear to have been mainly directed at weight reduction.
[Source: Miami Herald]
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