Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/117975
22124_JC_AGM_Ad_CCJ_JHKEY.pdf 2 3/8/13 8:05 AM is so staggeringly high ��� even with tax incentives ��� that they���re getting harder for cash-strapped ���eets to purchase; this would be easier if ���eets were seeing faster ROIs on hybrids, but they���re not. Additionally, battery maintenance and replacement is turning out to be more expensive than originally thought, making the trucks dif���cult to move when it���s time to sell and replace them. However, hybrids are gaining interest and adoption in mediumduty applications ��� particularly the van market. Here, hybrids seem to make a lot more sense since the systems are more affordable. XL Hybrids showed me a system that can be purchased and installed on an E-Series Ford van for less than $10,000. Even better, the inherent urban stop-and-start nature of the work that many of these vehicles perform is ideal for maximizing fuel economy, which translates into a much-faster ROI. 4. Solar power is coming. The stage appears set for another revolution in renewable energy in trucking. A company called eNow demonstrated a new solar-strip/energy management system that I think shows ���eets an easy way to power auxiliary power units, liftgates and other electric applications on commercial vehicles. A new generation of tough, durable solar-panel strips now can be linked to smart energy management systems to provide lots of storable electrical power ��� more than enough to keep a reefer cooled down or a driver warm on a cold night. I for one would not be the least bit surprised to look down from an airplane window ���ve or 10 years from now and see the highways below glittering like rivers of diamonds from all the solar-panel-covered trailers rolling along below. It���s a good idea, and I think it���s going to catch on quickly. C M Y CM MY CY CMY K INBRIEF Continued on page 24 ��� Ram Commercial Truck introduced the ProMaster, its newest entry in the commercial van market. ��� International unveiled a four-wheel-drive model of its TerraStar vocational truck. ��� Ford introduced its all-new Transit van chassis cab and cutaway models. ��� Mack debuted a medium-duty Granite available as a Class 7 or Baby 8 truck. ��� Dana launched its Spicer AdvanTek 40 tandem axle and the SPL-350 driveshaft and SPL-250 Inter-Axle. ��� Mitchell 1 launched TruckLabor, a comprehensive labor time-estimating product for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. WANT MORE EQUIPMENT NEWS? Scan the barcode to sign up for the CCJ Equipment Weekly e-mail newsletter or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | APRIL 2013 0413_Equipdept_Jack.indd 23 23 3/21/13 10:47 AM