CLEVELAND—Parker Hannifin Corporation and FedEx Ground, aunit of FedEx Corp., announced they have agreed to test a Class 6 vehicleemploying hybrid hydraulic technology that seeks to improve fuel mileage bygreater than 50% and significantly reduce engine emissions.
The new vehicles will rely on a Parker series hybridhydraulic drive that eliminates the conventional transmission, along with itsweight and maintenance, while improving drive train power density. Primarypump/ motor components developed by Parker leverage additional technologies developed by the EPA to create a true series hybrid drive as opposed to aparallel system that would increase vehicle weight. The system captures, storesand deploys energy by recovering inertial energy and optimizing engine efficiency,using Parker hydraulic technology.
"This relationship with FedEx Ground marks the latestchapter in Parker's 10-year history of energy saving hydraulic drive systemsfor commercial vehicles," said Dr. Joseph A. Kovach, vice president of Technologyand Innovation for Hydraulics at Parker. "We are extremely pleased FedExGround is working with us as a collaborator for this program."