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Could $3M A Day In Fuel Savings Save Saturday Mail? Mich. Company Wants To Try

DEERFIELD -- Could $3 million a day in fuel savings be enough to save Saturday mail delivery?

NRG Dynamix has logged a 60 percent fuel economy improvement in a hydraulic hybrid postal vehicle. Further testing is expected to show it could save the USPS millions of dollars in fuel costs a day.

A postal vehicle equipped with a Drop 'N Hybrid developed by the Deerfield energy tech firm exceeded 25 miles per gallon in initial tests. Rigorous stop-and-go, duty-cycle testing replicating city- and rural-route postal delivery service is under way.

Current mail delivery vehicles cover 4.1 million miles and burn 1.4 million gallons of fuel each day at an assumed 14-16 mpg each. A 25 mpg Drop 'N Hybrid-equipped vehicle would save 840,000 gallons a day, and at a national average $3.76 a gallon, that's almost $3.2 million each day.

Independent tests show the Drop N' Hybrid also reduces emissions by up to 90 percent, so it's greener than most other alternatives, and superior design and state of the art materials make it safe.

"Our objective was safety; we wanted all internal components double-walled to reduce the likelihood of any pressurized fluid escaping, even in a crash," said James O'Brien, president and CEO of NRG Dynamix. "The Drop 'N Hybrid strategy was lighter, less likely to leak at fittings, and easier to package in any vehicle. It just makes sense."

The Drop 'N Hybrid is a full-series hybrid; the system drives the wheels. The vehicle engine is used primarily to pressurize the hydraulic system, and always operates in the optimal range, even shutting down when not needed, aiding in fuel savings and emissions reduction.

The Drop 'N Hybrid fits between the frame rails of most vehicles, eliminating risk of high-pressure tanks "hanging" outside the rails or vehicle body, and avoiding costly architecture and engine modifications and change-over downtime. And minimal maintenance occurs at regular vehicle maintenance intervals.

NRG noted that driving habits and even the weather will vary results with any vehicle, and only the USPS knows if $3-million a day is enough to save Saturday mail service.

More at www.nrgdynamix.com.

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