Delivery vans come and go even at rush hour, especially at early mornings to bring produce to their client stores and shops. These vans can not afford to run low on fuel, or stall in traffic, and can not care how much pollution their dashing in and out of busy side streets can bring, lest perishables rot or late deliveries refused. Good thing these work-vans' manufacturers are beginning to see the toll their vehicles are taking on the environment. And they have begun work on the production of workhorses that use fuel more efficiently and safely for everyone - the hybrid vans.
Commercial Vehicles Go Hybrid
Daimler Chrysler started the move to transform their commercial vehicles to environmentally responsible traffickers of goods and public passengers. The Hybrid Sprinter of the Mercedes Benz family of quality vehicles is an example of these eco-friendly and fuel-efficient offerings. Its use of electricity in its motors shows how transportation and mobility can be served commercially without the toxic greenhouse gas emissions and soaring, if not wasteful, fuel consumption.
The hybrid van links the electric motor to the powertrain automatic transmission. Energy is sourced from a drive battery that is mounted under the van's flooring. This allows maximum use of the cargo area without any obstruction to the free-flow design. A logistics company loading lots of boxes of deliveries will surely appreciate the sensitivity.
Can Near-Zero Emissions be Achieved?
Not if you use conventional fossil fuel, because these delivery vans crowd in mass-critical areas like restaurant and store strips, stadiums, hotels - weaving in and out throughout the day to bring in their deliveries. But take a diesel engine and supplement its power with an electric motor, one that is quiet (noise-pollution-free) and emission-free, and you get diesel vans using this parallel combination that are really clean and eco-friendly.
More Deliveries At Less Cost
The engine, together with the fuel tank that is larger than usual as this is diesel, plus the added power from the electric hybrid technology, only means the delivery destinations can be farther and more numerous. The longer the distances and instances the more evident the efficiency of these hybrid vans.
The hybrid van from Mercedes Benz ensures optimum performance and efficiency, especially since the drivers can choose which mode they wish to drive with, diesel or hybrid, all at a touch of a button. When the van goes hybrid, a control computer manages the drive, letting the internal combustion engine alternate with the electric motor in operating the vehicle. With the battery's charge at optimum, it is smooth on-time delivery resulting.
When was the last time you got smogged by a pizza-delivery van weaving in city traffic just to cut on the delivery time? With the hybrid van, the driver simply puts the car on hybrid mode, and it shifts to its quiet smoke-free drive that you won't even notice its passage.
Then again, to beat deadlines and maximize cargo capacity, the driver can opt for the combination and simultaneous use of the diesel and electric motors. The added boost is achieved for quick dashes or long distance-drives. No late delivery, no overloading.
Regenerative Braking To Recharge Batteries
The new hybrid vans, like their smaller contemporary hybrid sedans and SUVs, also use regenerative braking wherein during coasting, the wheels' momentum acts as generator for the electric battery recharging function. No need to worry about the amount of diesel used up, as this will definitely be recouped with the braking and coasting drives that charge the battery and re-invigorate the electric motor. The energy generated is deemed sufficient for short rides within commercial areas.
A van that will run on pure electricity is being developed even as hybrid advocates speak. There are also plans to power the engine with alternative fuels like natural gas or even liquefied petroleum (LPG). Some vehicles will also be fitted with fuel cells, hydrogen most probably, for totally zero emissions.
Other Hybrid Van Developments
Enova Systems, known for its environmental-friendly engineering and systems products, is developing a hybrid system for Asian mini-trucks and delivery vans. The technology will ride on an electric drive system which is integrated with the transmission of the hybrid vans to achieve fuel efficiency and low environmental impact.
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