Out with the aluminum and in with composite material for a lighter truck and smaller engine. This truck, one of five being tested in different climates, also uses LED lighting to improve efficiency.
(Credit: UPS)o green up its iconic brown delivery trucks, UPS is scrapping aluminum in favor of lightweight composite material.
The company last month began testing five delivery trucks built using a plastic-like material that reduces a truck's weight by about 1,000 pounds, or 10 percent. Although that may seem minor, it allows UPS to use a smaller, 4-cylinder diesel engine and get a projected 40 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.
The cost of the trucks is roughly the same, according to UPS executives. The material meets safety requirements and the strength of composite materials, which are widely used in aviation already, has improved greatly over the past ten years, they said.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/greentech/#ixzz1MLRVfBJN
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