What kind of fuel economy or emissions improvement do hybrid trucks and buses offer?
Dave Hurst: The fuel economy gains will vary substantially depending on the type of truck and its usage. Overall, the fuel economy gains can be expected to be between 5 percent and 50 percent for hybrid trucks and buses. Is hybrid-electric the technology best suited to economical efficiency improvements? At the moment, hybrid electric is the best suited to see a payback on the incremental costs in the truck and bus market, but payback periods on these vehicles remains relatively long, up to 10 years. As fuel costs rise, we will see the payback period reduced and the economic equation will shift more in favor of hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Battery electric trucks will offer a very attractive economic equation in specific situations as battery costs come down in 2012 or 2013. How long will hybrid-electric trucks be dependent on government subsidies? [Note: Federal tax credits can be $10,000 or more for a truck selling for about $100,000. With state incentives, the subsidies can cover th
