The United States plans to invest in a government-industry venture, which potentially
could reach $5 billion, designed to make commercial and military trucks less
polluting and more fuel efficient.
The idea is to start off with $250 million a year for 10 years in federal funds
and have the private sector match dollar for dollar. Among the participating
government agencies are the Defense, Energy and Transportation Departments,
as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. Industries expected to join
the program include major commercial truck manufacturers, engine makers and
producers of Army tactical vehicles. According to officials involved in the
project, this effort is ideally suited to a public-private partnership, because
both the commercial truck sector and the U.S. Army operate large numbers of
trucks.
The initiative is called the 21st century truck, for obvious reasons. A key
advocate of the effort is the U.S. Army, which hopes the 21st century truck
will become a high-visibility nationwide program.
An announcement seeking contractor input on future truck technologies is expected
to appear this spring in the Commerce Business Daily, said Paul F. Skalny, associate
director of the Army's National Automotive Center (NAC), based in Warren, Mich.
"If everything works out, the 21st century truck will be announced as a
national initiative. It will involve the industry, government and academia,"
he said in an interview.
But officials caution that the 21st century truck is far from what contractors
typically expect to see in program announcements. "It is still in the talking
phase ... and has not been funded yet," said Jerry L. Chapin, director
of the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
The 21st century truck, Chapin said in an interview, "looks at what we
can do, in a national perspective, to improve the efficiency of military and
commercial truck fleets. There are a lot of common requirements" between
the two. "We are looking for substantial dollars" for this program
to move ahead, he said. "We envision this as a dual-use program, where
industry would provide matching funds."
But even though the commercial trucking industry would be the primary beneficiary
of the program, said Chapin, "the government has to bring in a broader
vision and become a catalyst to this effort."
Kyoto Agreement
The Army asked the NAC to seek new vehicle technologies to lower emissions and
fuel consumption in its truck fleet. The move was prompted by a 1997 international
agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, in which industrialized nations pledged
to drastically cut back on emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
These so-called greenhouse gases are blamed for global warming. Even though
the Senate never ratified the treaty, the Clinton administration vowed to reduce
the use of fossil fuels, such as carbon and oil, by 40 percent.
The pressure to reduce emissions and lower fuel consumption in the Army truck
fleet led to the 21st century truck concept, said Skalny. The NAC estimated
that, as it now stands, toxic emissions from trucks will double between 1970
and 2020.
The numbers are compelling.
Nearly 20 million commercial trucks were registered in the United States in
1997. These vehicles drove more than 420 billion miles and consumed more than
42 billion gallons of fuel.
For the Army, a fuel-efficient truck could be a boon. Fuel makes up 70 percent
of the bulk tonnage needed to sustain a military force on the ground. This equates
to about 600,000 gallons a day. The service has a fleet of nearly 250,000 trucks,
which log more than 820 million miles each year.
As initially conceived, explained Skalny, the 21st century truck would achieve,
by 2010, a 75 percent reduction in fuel consumption by large trucks and buses.
It would accomplish between a 50 percent to 67 percent reduction in carbon dioxide
emissions.
But the goals today appear overly optimistic, Skalny said. "As we looked
at the program from day one, we knew we wouldn't meet the goals by the 2010
timeframe ... You have to aggressively partner with industry and put some significant
dollars into the program in order to reach those goals [and] address the high-risk
technologies you need."
The NAC currently is working on a budget for the program. The other agencies
also are sizing up their funding plans. "We have laid out a program of
$200 million to $250 million a year in government funding. That amount would
be matched by industry," said Skalny.
Under the 21st century truck umbrella, several classes of trucks were selected
as representatives for possible future pilot programs. The commercial trucks
include the Class 8 line-haul rig, the Class 6 enclosed truck delivery, a Class
8 transit bus and a Class 2B utility truck. Freightliner and Volvo dominate
the Class 8 truck market. Ford is among the biggest suppliers of the Class 6
and Class 2B trucks.
The representative military trucks will be the Class 8 M915 line-haul rig,
the Class 6 medium tactical truck and the Class 2B M998 utility vehicle-also
called Humvee.
Representative Vehicles
These vehicles were selected, Skalny said, in order to "validate the model"
of fuel efficiency for each class of trucks. Utility trucks, for example, currently
get nearly 12 miles per gallon. The goals would be to increase that to 27 miles
per gallon by 2010. For delivery trucks, the miles-per-gallon levels would go
from about 6.5 to nearly 15. Long-haul rigs would go from 5 miles per gallon
to more than 7.
Trying to develop fuel-efficiency and anti-pollution technologies for trucks
and buses, he pointed out, is much different than with passenger cars. Skalny
alluded to the early 1990s project sponsored by the Commerce Department, called
the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). The partnership was
created to develop cleaners, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
But the government is seeking participation by a much larger range of industrial
players than PNGV, which primarily targeted the Big Three Detroit car makers.
For the truck program to be successful, it needs involvement not just from vehicle
makers but also from component manufacturers. "In this program, we need
the Big Three plus the little 23," said an NAC consultant who asked not
to be named. He explained that the "little 23" are the suppliers of
trailers, transmissions and many other technologies that play a role in making
trucks more fuel efficient.
Skalny also noted that "trucks have different classes and requirements.
We needed to find out which ones to target. [But] it doesn't mean that because
you are targeting specific representatives, you are not going to influence the
other classes as well ... We specifically looked at the biggest fuel users and
those with the greatest emissions." Class 8 over-the-road trucks were the
biggest fuel users. As the program progresses, analysts will determine, for
each class, "what makes sense from a technology standpoint" based
on the truck's functions.
"All propulsion systems are open in this program for each one of the classes.
But we have to work to identify where the biggest payback is in terms of drive-train
efficiency, engine efficiency, for each class of vehicles," Skalny said.
Potential forms of propulsion range from hybrid diesel-electric systems to fuel
cells.
Hybrid electric vehicles have an internal combustion engine, along with an
electric generator bolted to it. The motor is powered by both the diesel engine
and the generator.
By comparison, all-electric vehicles are exclusively powered by
a battery pack. Those vehicles currently exist, but have limited-niche
applications. They often are seen in the form of airport shuttle
buses, some school buses in inner cities, and in small islands such
as Hawaii. Electric vehicles, however, have a restricted range because
there is no infrastructure available to recharge batteries. All-electric
transit buses, for example, can travel 10 to 20 miles before they
need to be recharged. For that reason, experts agree that hybrid
diesel vehicles offer the most promising technology for the 21st
century truck.
Skalny, however, does not want to discount the fuel cell as a possible
alternative in the long term. Fuel cells can vary in size but, essentially,
they work by converting chemical energy from fuel in order to generate
electricity or heat. The fuel cells currently being tested in commercial
prototypes are hydrogen fuel cells. They combine hydrogen with oxygen
from the air. The resulting energy can power an electric motor.
The only byproduct generated is water vapor.
About a year ago, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors
unveiled plans to introduce fuel-cell driven vehicles during the
next five years. Scientists from these firms received awards, in
recognition of their ground-breaking research, from the Partnership
for a New Generation of Vehicles.
More than 60 companies around the world currently are working on fuel cell drives. The four largest
Japanese automobile companies will have invested more than $546
million in the development of fuel cells by the end of this year,
according to DaimlerChrysler's fuel cell project director, Ferdinand
Panik. He told a recent symposium in Germany that "the issue
of an infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles must be addressed quickly
and a decision reached as soon as possible if a competitive advantage
is to be secured in the United States and Germany.
"Work on the fuel cell is no longer motivated exclusively by technological
and environmental considerations, but has become a genuine competitive factor,"
Panik said.
He stressed that governments should help "ease the way" for the eventual
large-scale production of fuel cells. Limited petroleum resources, he added,
will make alternative fuels crucial by 2020. Panik cited factors such as emission
levels, technological maturity of the processes and distribution channels as
issues that will shape future decisions on the use of fuel cells.
Hybrid Vehicles
In the context of the 21st century truck, however, fuel cells are seen as a
long-term prospect. "Fuel cells are a little bit further out than hybrid
electric at this point," said Skalny. "But, if it makes sense to go
to a fuel cell platform and it's in production for the 2010 timeframe, you may
see a fuel cell platform."
Hybrid diesel-electric vehicles, meanwhile, currently appear to hold the most
promise for large trucks and buses because the technology is being demonstrated
in several projects.
"There are many folks who are working in hybrid electric platforms,"
said Skalny. "In the military ... there has to be a look at hybrid electric
technologies" because the Army could stand to gain billions of dollars
in savings from lower fuel consumption. Having cleaner-burning vehicles also
would lower the amounts of fuel that must be transported in cargo ships for
overseas deployments.
For the past 18 months, the NAC has funded what is known as the hybrid-electric
Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV). These are 2.5-ton and 5-ton off-road,
all-wheel drive tactical trucks the Army is building to replace its aging fleet.
The FMTV prime contractor is Stewart & Stevenson, Sealy, Texas. The drive
is being developed by Lockheed Martin Control Systems, Johnson City, N.Y. The
company has produced the so-called HybriDrive propulsion system for New York
City's transit buses since 1996. "We took two of the transit bus HybriDrive
systems off the shelf and put them on a 5-ton FMTV," explained Steve Cortese,
Lockheed's manager of electric vehicle business development.
The program remains in the prototype stage, Cortese said in an interview. Lockheed
currently is under contract with the NAC to build a second truck, which will
be more customized to meet military needs, he said. Among the new features will
be the ability to drive through a relatively deep stream or river. The FMTV
must be able to operate in water levels to where the driver's lower body is
almost completely submerged as he sits in the cab.
The 5-ton variant was selected for reasons of convenience, Cortese said. "It
has more room to put things. It's heavier, so we wanted to demonstrate a capability
with a heavier vehicle and a heavier payload." If the project is successful,
he added, "it should be easier to drop down to the 2.5 ton size."
Cortese recognizes that the hybrid-electric FMTV could become a stepping-stone
on the road to significant business opportunities in the future. "We are
really open [to perform] any role that might arise in the 21st century truck
program," he said.
So far, Lockheed has not documented how the hybrid truck compares with the
conventional FMTV in emissions and fuel economy. Cortese expects that analysis
will be completed after the contractors build the second hybrid prototype.
There are, however, available data on hybrid-electric transit buses. A chart
provided by Lockheed shows that the HybriDrive-propelled buses yield anywhere
from 30 percent to 90 percent fewer toxic emissions than buses powered by natural
gas and conventional diesel engines.
"We should be able to expect comparable emission reductions in the FMTV
as well," said Cortese.
He does not expect the Army will equip the entire FMTV fleet with hybrid drives,
at least in the near future, "unless there is something on the horizon
for 21st century truck that would springboard the technology to move faster."
The Army, he asserted, has a need for this technology "but I don't see
significant amounts of funding set aside for this technology to go into production."
Army Tests
The first hybrid FMTV was tested by Army soldiers at the Aberdeen Proving Ground,
Md. A spokesman said that, generally, soldiers liked the hybrid drive because
it makes for a quieter cab. The reason for this is that, with the HybriDrive,
the engine runs at a constant speed, rather than rev up and down. Soldiers also
found that it is an easier truck to drive in mud because it has no transmission,
so there is no shifting of gears. When they step on the accelerator, they get
instant power without any jerking from the shifts of the transmission. Hybrid
electric trucks also can run for a short amount of time with the engine turned
completely off. That means they can operate in a "stealth" or hard-to-detect
mode.
The potential cost of this technology currently only is documented in commercial
vehicles, said Cortese. "Our goal is to make the cost of a hybrid drive
system competitive with what the transit authorities would pay for a natural
gas propulsion system."
Using the bus as an example, it is possible to infer a cost comparison for
military vehicles. A conventional 44-foot transit bus costs $250,000. A natural
gas bus goes for about $330,000. The first five hybrid electric transit buses
sold to New York City were $550,000 each.
According to Al O'Leary, spokesman for the New York City Mass Transit Authority,
the city is seeking to buy 125 more hybrid-electric buses at a price of about
$400,000 each. "We believe that price is going to come down" more
as more vehicles are produced, O'Leary said in an interview.
Currently, there are six hybrid-electric buses in Manhattan, purchased under
a pilot program. "They are clean. They cost less to run and maintain ...
The absence of a transmission makes them easier to repair," he noted. Drivers
also like the way the trucks respond when they tap the accelerator pedal. They
are sometimes "too quick off the line," said O'Leary.
The diesel-electric hybrid is likely to be the answer for buses and trucks
in the future, he said. "But the ultimate non-polluting system would be
a fuel-cell hybrid where the fuel cell powers the batteries. That would have
zero emissions."
In the large truck arena, meanwhile, Lockheed Martin Control Systems and Volvo
Trucks North America recently entered a partnership with an Alexandria, Va.-based
environmental firm to develop a Class 8 hybrid electric vehicle for the U.S.
Army. Radian Incorporated, under a contract from the Army's Tank Automotive
and Armaments Command, will be responsible to integrate and test one demonstrator
vehicle by December 2000. The Class 8 vehicles are over-the-road tractor trailers.
This prototype must comply with the performance parameters of the Army's M915
line-haul truck, said a Radian spokesman. But it must improve fuel efficiency
and reduce emissions. Volvo Trucks is the fastest growing truck maker in North
America.
"We are going to take our HybriDrive developed for transit buses, and
we are going to scale it up to the horsepower and torque capability required
for the tractor trailer. It will be installed on a Volvo truck," said Cortese.
Another program recently launched by the Defense Department and the Ford Motor
Company plans to develop lightweight, fuel-efficient technologies for potential
use in Army tactical trucks. The project is called Improved Materials and Powertrain
Architectures for 21st Century Trucks (IMPACT). The work will be conducted under
a two-year $11.2 million contract. According to a Ford spokesman, IMPACT will
seek lighter and corrosion resistant trucks for both military and commercial
customers. It will focus on the use of high-strength steel and laser-welded
blanks to reduce the weight of a Ford F-150 pickup truck.
If the first phase of IMPACT is sucessful, the work will be extended into the
Ford F250 and F350 truck platforms, said Neil Ressler, the company's vice president
for research.
Skalny, from the National Automotive Center, agreed that new materials will
play a significant role in building fuel-efficient vehicles. "Steels, aluminum,
metal matrix composites, magnesium, whatever they might be ... if it lowers
the weight, it's an improvement in terms of ton miles." The IMPACT project,
he added, is one component of the 21st century truck program. The work done
for the F150 truck will apply to the military 8,500 pound-truck category.