UPS Hydraulic Hybrid Delivery Van Evaluation

Photo of UPS hydraulic hybrid package-delivery van.

The United Parcel Service operates hydraulic hybrid package-delivery vans, which feature highly efficient regenerative braking systems that are ideal for applications where stop-and-go traffic is common.
Photo courtesy of UPS

NREL is evaluating the performance of 20 hydraulic hybrid delivery vans operated by the United Parcel Service (UPS) in the Baltimore, Maryland, area.

UPS added the vans to its fleet in 2012. Because UPS started using gasoline engines in all of its non-hybrid delivery vans in 2010, NREL is comparing the new hybrid vans, which run on diesel, to similar conventional gasoline vans.

The on-road portion of this evaluation includes collecting and analyzing duty cycle, use, fuel economy, reliability, and other vehicle performance data. The in-lab portion involves dynamometer evaluation at NREL's Renewable Fuels and Lubricants Laboratory to determine the fuel economy and emissions impact of the hydraulic hybrid technology.

Publications

For more information, refer to the Hydraulic Hybrid and Conventional Parcel Delivery Vehicles' Measured Laboratory Fuel Economy on Targeted Drive Cycles report.