The day to day hike in the fuel prices and continuous emission of greenhouse gases into the environment are some of the major problems that the transportation industry is facing nowadays, making it too arduous for the transportation associates and fleet managers to run their business with efficiency and gain maximum profit. So in order to tackle these problems the scientists and vehicle manufacturers have come up with the renewed concept of Hybrid vehicles.
Super Great’ heavy-duty hybrid truck
The world renowned truck manufacturer Mitsubishi is coming with its future super great HEV heavy duty truck Fuso. In the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi will provide a display of its much awaited heavy duty hybrid truck. This truck owes its inspiration and its technology to the Canter Eco Hybrid commercial truck which was so popular among the fleet managers and transportation industry associates that around 1200 units of it have been sold since its launch date. Thus the manufacturer claims that it will increase the fuel efficiency up to a large extent. Let us find out how this truck can be conducive for the environment.
Green Factor
Generally in the vehicles running on diesel-engine due to the combustion of diesel various greenhouse gases are generated and they got released into the environment which ultimately harm the Earth's protecting layer i.e. Ozone layer that protects invasion of harmful UV rays emitted by the Sun to reach the surface of the Earth. But Fuso is an HEV or a hybrid electric vehicle that uses two modes of energy to run the vehicle. Generally these vehicles have two types of engines viz. combustion as well as electric, they emit negligible amount of greenhouse gases and hence are absolute Eco-friendly.
The Powertrain
Like other HEVs Fuso also comes with a duo of engines i.e. diesel and electric. The truck features a diesel engine, an electric motor or generator, lithium-ion battery and related control software. The truck runs on either sources of energy, diesel or electric at a time, or even both when required. In this truck the energy generated by braking is sent back to the battery and thus the energy required for its running is once again available. The inbuilt software enables the engine to switch between the energy sources i.e. it can use either diesel as a source of energy or the electrical current or even both depending upon the various geographical conditions.
Asset
According to Mitsubishi the manufacturer of Fuso the most admirable and valuable assets of Fuso are its qualities of being fuel efficient and Eco-friendliness. As a result of the refined technology used in the making of this truck, according to some sources emission of green house gases can be reduced up to 500 metric ton and gasoline can be saved up to 58000 metric ton. Thus this truck can be a great help for soothing the environment.
The Highs
As Fuso runs on both diesel and electric current thus it emits almost zero amounts of greenhouse gases and it also does not release any kind of poisonous particles thus it is Eco-friendly but apart from its Eco-friendliness it is also fuel efficient. So due to these qualities these trucks will reduce the fuel consumption and earn maximum profit to their owners along with helping the environment.
The Lows
The parts and technology which is used in the making Fuso or any HEV are very expensive quite often and thus these trucks may cost higher than their diesel based siblings. Apart from the cost, the second thing that may bother its owners is that the spare parts are not easily available. So that may lead to an elongated wait.
Cost and Availability
As concept of Fuso truck is under consideration. So there is no launch date and price yet decided by the company. It might be possible that Mitsubishi, the manufacturer of this truck will make any announcement regarding its price and launch date in the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show which is going to start from 30th November to 11th December. After this show it will be possible to talk about its price and availability. So it is useless to make any predictions.
Word around the web
Different people have different opinions about Fuso truck on the web.
1.There is nothing new about this truck. Saw a similar project years ago but of no use.
2. I'll bet that saving in fuel costs is not enough to cover the cost of batteries and electric motors.
3. The idea of Fuso is "Simply Awesome".
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