While WalMart threatens and cajoles the rig makers to go the green way over in the States, we who live down under havent been twiddling our thumbs either. We got our first hybrid truck which was displayed at the Queensland Auto show. Australia Post has bought two of these trucks after being impressed by the run of the truck in the marathon drive that it was subjected to.
The Hino Hybrid uses a parallel setup that combines a 4.0-liter 110kW (150 hp) four-cylinder common-rail turbodiesel with a 23kW electric motor. According to Hino, the setup is good for a 20 percent reduction in fuel use compared to a conventionally-powered truck, a 25 percent cut in Carbon Dioxide emissions, and that NOx emissions can be slashed by up to 50 percent thanks to the engine's stop-start system.
The truck has already completed a 24-hour marathon drive through the streets of Brisbane while hauling 500kg of cargo. It achieved 21.5 mpg (10.9 liters/100km) during the trial