The California Energy Commission (CEC) is supporting Odyne Systems LLC and CALSTART with $462,600 in funds for the development of advanced diesel plug-in hybrid electric truck systems and the deployment of four vehicles that use the technology.
CALSTART will administer the award, which is being funded through the CEC's Advanced Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Technologies Pre-Commercial Demonstrations solicitation. CALSTART and Odyne were announced as proposed award grantees last fall, and their work will begin soon.
Odyne's proprietary platform combines electric power conversion, power control and energy storage technology. The hybrid power system interfaces with Allison Transmission's fully automatic transmissions, Remy's advanced electric propulsion motors, Johnson Controls' lithium-ion battery technology and automotive components.
Depending on the duty cycle, large trucks can attain fuel economy improvements of up to 50% compared to traditional diesel or gasoline engines when using the Odyne system, the company says.
