Sanitation Designs On Hybrid Truck;

Cleaner, Fuel-Saving
Sanitation Designs On Hybrid Truck


The Sanitation Department is working with truck manufactures to construct the first ever municipal hybrid collection truck, which would greatly decrease engine noise and exhaust fumes emitted by the current fleet.

DSNY Photo HELLO HYBRID: Sanitation Department Assistant Commissioner for Support Operations Rocco DiRico is working with truck manufacturers to develop the first-ever municipal hybrid collection truck, which would eliminate rattling engine noise and exhaust fumes. The environmentally-friendly heavy trucks will likely be the model for other municipalities across the nation when completed and tested. The environmentally-friendly Class 8 heavy trucks will likely be the model for other municipalities across the nation when completed and tested, according to local officials.

'We Can Clean Industry'

"We work with all the major manufacturers," said Rocco DiRico, Sanitation's Assistant Commissioner for Support Operations. "Because we are so big we can help drive the industry to a cleaner environment - that's the bottom line."

Five new hybrid trucks - one for each borough - must first be purchased and constructed by Crane Carrier Corporation, Mr. DiRico said. "My hope is that a year from today the hybrids work well and the department looks to expand, but only time will tell," he said during a Dec. 20 phone interview.

The Sanitation Department has already taken steps to make its 2,000 collection trucks more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. In July 2001, the DSNY started using ultra-low sulfur diesel, which reduces emissions of particulate matter from diesel engines.

"We were the first mayoral agency to use that fuel," Mr. DiRico said, noting that many have since switched over. "We have fueling tanks at every one of our facilities. We use 10 million gallons of fuel a year."

Some Using Ethanol

The special fuel, which is now required under City Council Local Laws 39 and 77 passed in the last two years, is the exact price as standard diesel fuel, according to Mr. DiRico.

In January 2004, the DSNY's entire fleet of 4,500 heavy duty vehicles began using ultra-low sulfur fuel, and the other 1,500 light- and medium-duty vehicles are now powered by a mix of ethanol and hybrid technology that includes gas.

Staying ahead of the curve has allowed the DSNY to continue to look for new and more-advanced ways to reduce emissions.

One of those new technologies is diesel particulate filters, a device designed to remove pollutant matter or soot from the engine's exhaust pipe. "You can reduce the particulate matter by up to 85 percent," Mr. DiRico remarked.

A DSNY design team is also working with manufacturers to create a new generation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) collection trucks that can be used in New York during cold weather. The department has recently purchased 10 such vehicles. "We bought them but they are not in service yet," Mr. DiRico said.

Engineers' initial attempt with those vehicles came up short. "They weren't suitable for us just yet; the technology hadn't matured enough," Mr. DiRico said, referring to a failed 16-truck pilot program.

The trucks, designed by several other manufacturers, had a difficult time starting in cold weather, an issue that isn't a problem in California, where they are already in use.

Climate a Factor

There are also very few CNG fueling stations throughout the city, Mr. DiRico added. "We have one of our own, but the city has less than 10 places you can fill up with CNG, and only a handful can fill up a truck because of the size," he noted. "If the new pilot program is a success, the DSNY will look at the cost of infrastructure and the benefits of the technology before expanding." The DSNY's research-and-development team includes five automotive specialists who have been in constant contact with multiple truck manufactures, working to develop a vehicle that fits the department's needs. "It's very complicated," Mr. DiRico said. "If something works in California it doesn't necessarily work here."

Scientists have debated whether CNG or ultra-low sulfur fuel gas is cleaner, Mr. DiRico added. "When we get these new CNG trucks, we are going to look at that and know for sure," he said.

While working on those alternatives, the DSNY is hoping the hybrid trucks prove manageable in the tough city streets and weather. The department is eager to see Mack Truck, the manufacturer currently under contract, develop its own hybrid truck, which would help speed along the process.

MTV Gets Corny

In order to further reduce emissions and the dependence on foreign oil, the DSNY is also using bio-diesel 5, commonly referred to as B5. "We are also using it for our heating systems in our buildings," Mr. DiRico said. "We hope to expand that as well."

In addition, the DSNY is also the only place in New York City that has ethanol fuel stations, which came in handy during the MTV Music Video Awards in September.

The award show was sponsored by General Motors. As part of the promotion, GM had celebrities pull up to the red carpet in its newly designed fleet of Chevy Flex Fuel vehicles, but the ethanol trucks could only be fueled at the DSNY stations.

"It was really wild; we were so proud," Mr. DiRico recalled. "They couldn't come to the red carpet and pump this ethanol thing if it wasn't for Sanitation."