UPS will deploy 150 plastic-body delivery trucks mainly in the Western region of the USA after ayear-long field test with five pilot vehicles in five regions.
The trial resulted in considerable reduction in fuel consumption with the trucks being easier torepair and showing a longer durability, according to various media reports.
In concrete terms, UPS achieved a 40% increase in fuel efficiency between the truck’s 10% weightreduction, the advanced powertrain technology and a more aerodynamic design. The trucks’ compositebody also led to easier maintenance. The bodies’ modular design was easier to assemble and themold-injected composite body eliminated any need for paint and expensive and timely bodyrepairs.
Due to the successful tests, UPS has ordered 150 of these trucks which are expected to arrive bythe end of this year to be deployed on high-mileage routes.
The prototype trucks, designated CV-23, are manufactured with an Isuzu engine and a body byUtilimaster, a commercial-vehicle manufacturer in Indiana, running on traditional fuels. Due to thefar lighter plastic resin material instead of the standard steel used for the conventional UPStrucks, the vehicle has a lighter body, powered by a 150-horsepower, 4-cylinder Isuzu diesel enginethat is more fuel efficient than the General Motors and Cummins power plants used in the P70package cars.
Dale Spencer, director of automotive engineering at UPS, reportedly said during a conferencecall last week that the field test, taking place from April 2011 to April 2012, was preceded by adevelopment phase lasting three years.
“We wanted to put these trucks out in our operational centres to duplicate the real worldconditions our vehicles undergo,” he said. He called the prototype trucks “rolling test beds” forenergy saving technology. Recycled plastics and rubber made from used tires are part of themix.
