Eaton receives hybrid grant

Eaton Corp.'s Hydraulic Launch Assist (HLA) technology will be installed on a Texas fleet of urban shuttle buses through a $499,974 new technology research and development grant, the company said. According to Eaton, the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) grant builds on a 2006 project in which Eaton's HLA system — a regenerative braking system that captures and stores a vehicle's kinetic energy instead of dissipating it as heat — was installed on 12 Texas refuse trucks.

“[The technology] cuts exhaust emissions and fuel costs, making it possible for both operators and the environment to come out ahead,” HARC program director Rudy Smaling said. “The refuse trucks delivered fuel savings of 25 to 28%, and we fully expect similar savings from the shuttle bus application.”