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Toyota has unveiled a world-first hybrid-powered truck, with potential fuel efficiency gains of 50 percent over conventionally powered vehicles of equivalent capacity.
The diesel/electric powered truck uses similar technology to Toyota Prius - the world's first mass-production hybrid car.
The truck was first seen at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.
Toyota and its automotive partner, Hino, developed the new truck to achieve smooth, low-noise city driving while minimising emissions in urban delivery driving situations.
It has new Toyota-developed catalytic converter technology which reduces particulate matter and NOx emissions by approximately 80 percent.
Breakthrough environmental features of the new Diesel-Hybrid System truck include stepless electronic transmission technology that only engages the diesel engine in its most efficient revolution range.
The turbocharged diesel engine is only used at revolutions where the exhaust gas is cleanest and fuel efficiency is maximised.
Leading-edge technology in the four-tonne payload diesel-hybrid truck also includes:
- a low-pollution/high efficiency turbocharged and intercooled direct-injection diesel engine with common-rail electronic fuel injection
- provision of two motor/generator units to power the vehicle and generate electricity (there is a computer-controlled clutch between the two motor/generators
- Toyota's world-leading hybrid-power computer software
- regenerative braking
- and Toyota's new DPNR catalytic converter system, to minimise particulate matter and NOx emissions.
Like Prius, the new diesel-hybrid truck uses a Toyota-developed parallel/series hybrid system, which combines the best aspects of both series and parallel hybrids, for greater efficiency.
A series hybrid uses an internal combustion engine to generate electricity for an electric propulsion motor.
A parallel hybrid uses both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor (or motors) for motive power, switching back and forth between them as the situation demands.
The new diesel-hybrid truck combines both systems.
It uses electric motive power for low-speed and light-load situations, and engages the diesel engine for normal (laden) operations and when the vehicle is accelerating.
During deceleration, the two motor/generator units act as generators, turning kinetic energy into electricity - to be stored for future use.
The diesel engine has Toyota's breakthrough DPNR (diesel particulate and NOx reduction system) catalytic converter - which simultaneously purifies particulate matter and NOx.
The DPNR converter Toyota has developed for truck engines has the added sophistication of a switching system.
The switching system periodically varies exhaust-gas flow within the converter to use the porous ceramic structure in two alternate directions.
This system maintains converter efficiency and long-term durability, while increasing the package efficiency of the converter.
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