A classic truck is getting an infusion of 21st-century technology in Union City IN, a former railroad hub on the central Indiana-Ohio border. Regular production of hybrid electric chassis for walk-in trucks in the United States has begun.
The new hybrid chassis is a cooperative venture that includes chassis manufacturer Workhorse Custom Chassis, component integrator Productive Concepts Inc (PCI), and Azure Dynamics Corp, a developer and producer of hybrid electric systems. Workhorse recently introduced a new W42 commercial chassis with improved features. With PCI now integrating the hybrid-electric components into the W42, Workhorse offers commercial gas, diesel, and hybrid electric chassis for this market.
Production has begun at the Workhorse and PCI plants in Union City, with an initial run of 19 hybrid electric chassis. Forty more hybrid chassis are expected to be produced by the end of 2006.