Peterbilt has announced plans for full production of its Model 330 and Model 335 medium-duty hybrid vehicles at their press conference during the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show. The vehicles will be produced at Peterbilt’s Saint Therese, Quebec, Canada, manufacturing facility in the summer of 2008.
Both the Model 330 and the Model 335 Hybrid Electric vehicles feature Eaton Hybrid Power systems and offer customers fuel savings advantages. The Model 330 provides up to a 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and the Model 335 offers a 60-percent improvement when configured for utility applications, according to the company.
These trucks use a parallel hybrid system with an electric motor assisting the diesel engine with supplemental torque improving fuel economy. The system also stores energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking, and then uses this energy to launch and accelerate the vehicle.
Both models are eligible to receive tax credits from the U.S. Government as certified by the Department of Treasury’s Heavy Manufacturing and Transportation Group. The maximum credit of $12,000 is available for the Model 335, which falls under the Class 7 Hybrids, and $6,000 is available for the Model 330, which falls under the Class 6 Hybrids.
