Freightliner Trucks announced that its Business Class M2 106 Hybrid drop frame beverage truck is now available. Designed for fuel savings and reduced emissions, the Class 6 features the Eaton medium-duty hybrid electric system and is a built specifically to address the challenges of hauling loads in an urban setting.
The first trucking manufacturer in the country to offer drop frame hybrid electric beverage trucks, Freightliner Trucks responded to the needs of the market by providing a fuel efficient truck that benefited the environment, said Melissa Kellogg, director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks.
“Freightliner engineered a vehicle more conducive to sustainability,” Kellogg said. “Our customers want a better business tool that improves efficiency and environmental stewardship.”
Freightliner’s hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), which features a diesel engine coupled with an electric motor/generator and batteries, works in line with the engine and transmission enabling operation with electric or diesel power either separately or together.
“The M2 106 can boast up to a 30 percent savings in fuel consumption and up to an 87 percent reduction in idling time,” said Mark Lloyd, market development manager for Eaton. “Eaton Corporation developed and supplies the hybrid electric system for Freightliner Trucks.”
An added benefit of reducing idling time and subsequent lower emissions is that the M2 106 produces less noise, allowing for quieter loading and unloading in urban settings.
Freightliner engineers also maximized the amount of space of the 12-bay beverage body by mounting most of the integrated hybrid components underneath and behind the cab.
The M2 106 Hybrid originally entered the market as a prototype at the 2006 Great American Trucking Show. The truck traveled across the United States to customers interested in testing it within their fleets.
In addition to the beverage market, the M2 Hybrid is ideal for utility, pickup and delivery and power takeoff operations.