Kenworth Truck Co. announced Thursday, March 5, its largest ever hybrid truck order. The order from Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of Coca-Cola products, is for 150 T370 diesel-electric tractors and 35 T370 hybrid trucks, all of which will be on the road this year. Kenworth says the T370 tractors — rated at 55,000-lb. GCW — are the largest hybrid delivery truck on the road in North America.
Coca-Cola Enterprises uses tractors as its standard bulk delivery truck for large deliveries, and plans to deploy the Kenworth hybrid tractors to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Ore.), San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, D.C. The T370 hybrid trucks — rated at 33,000-lb. GVW — will be deployed to Albuquerque (N.M.), Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus (Ohio), Jacksonville (Fla.), Knoxville (Tenn.), Las Vegas (Nev.), Missoula (Mont.), New Orleans and Seattle, joining CCE’s fleet of 120 Kenworth 12-bay hybrid delivery trucks.
“Coca-Cola Enterprises’ commitment to deploy fuel-saving Kenworth hybrid tractors and trucks into the North American market is an outstanding demonstration of corporate responsibility and sustainability,” says Bill Kozek, general manager of Kirkland, Wash.-based Kenworth and Paccar vice president. “We are very pleased to partner with Coca-Cola Enterprises to save fuel and reduce emissions.”
Coca-Cola Enterprises says it has achieved increased fuel efficiency and decreased emissions on its original order of 120 T370 hybrid beverage delivery trucks deployed throughout the United States and Canada last year. “The Kenworth hybrids are performing well, with a more than 30 percent improvement in both fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, compared to standard beverage delivery trucks,” says Gary Kapusta, the company’s vice president of indirect procurement, who noted that Coca-Cola Enterprises operates the largest hybrid fleet in North America.
Coca-Cola Enterprises’ T370 hybrids are equipped with a Paccar PX-6 engine rated up to 280 hp and up to 660 lb-ft of torque, and the Eaton diesel-electric hybrid power system. The hybrids also have an integral transmission-mounted motor/generator and frame-mounted 340-volt lithium-ion battery pack.
Kenworth says advanced powertrain controls monitor driving conditions and automatically select the ideal power mode, smoothly switching among electric-only, combined diesel and electric, and diesel-only power modes; electricity generated through regenerative braking is stored and used for acceleration, assisting the diesel engine. The hybrid system is monitored through a dash display, according to the truck maker; as the power requirements for different driving conditions change, the screen constantly updates the driver on system status.
