March 5, 2011

Maryland Conserves Fuel With Hybrid Trucks (Text Version)

This is a text version of the video segment Maryland Conserves Fuel With Hybrid Trucks, which aired on March 5, 2011.

JOHN DAVIS: Our success story this week highlights the Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative, a U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored project designed to get green technologies up and running in the commercial markets. Five big-name fleets will hit the roads across the country with these cutting-edge vehicles to demonstrate how hybrid electric and hybrid hydraulic technologies can make dollars and cents.

Company officials say these highly efficient trucks are root ready and fully capable, citing a 20% to 60% reduction in fuel consumption, engine noise, and less greenhouses gases emitted into the air.

MARK LAMPERT: So quiet in this fuel economy—environmental stewardship is what this is all about—and the future technology of transportation mobility.

JOHN DAVIS: DOE Clean Cities grants subsidize the cost of the 143 trucks involved in the initiative and help create green jobs at the freightliner factories that make them. Fuel savings are estimated at nearly 140,000 gallons a year, a positive partnership to help green up the fleet of these workforce vehicles.