By: E&P Staff The New York Times has received the first medium-duty plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) on the East Coast. The van, a Dodge Sprinter PHEV, will be kept at the paper?s printing plant in College Point, Queens and will be used to transport papers. It will also serve the Times plant in Edison, N.J., until it closes.
The vehicle is made available through a partnership the Times struck with DaimlerChrysler, Con Edison, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The agreement was formed to test and evaluate plug-in hybrid technology.
?When we were approached by NYPA and DaimlerChrysler, we knew immediately that we wanted to be involved,? Tom Lombardo, vice president of production at the Times, said in a statement. ?We are delighted to be supporting the use of clean energy, sustainability, and advances in plug-in hybrid technology.?
The collected data will help determine the future design and functionality to make PHEV?s available to consumers.
?The daily operation of the New York Times Dodge Sprinter plug-in hybrid will give DaimlerChrysler the valuable real world experience needed for hybrid powertrain and lithium-ion battery development,? Mark Chernoby, vice president of advance vehicle engineering at the Chrysler Group, said in a statement.
Plug-in hybrids operate in two modes: all-electric, which allows them to travel long distances, and hybrid mode. The Dodge Sprinter has an electric-only mode range of up to 20 miles. In hybrid-mode the vehicle performs like a traditional hybrid, with lower emissions and better fuel economy. The vehicle returns to the base after each shift to be plugged in, recharging overnight.
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