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| Photo credit: Allison Transmission |
When one imagines hybrid vehicles in a green economy, the iconic wedge shape of the compact Prius invariably comes to mind. Yet passenger transportation comprises only a part of the broader transportation sector – trucking, for instance, remains the most widely used method to move goods across America. Trucks consume more than two million barrels of oil a day and average just over 6 miles per gallon, generating 20 percent of the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas pollution.
Indiana’s Hoosier Heavy Hybrid Initiative aims to tackle precisely this problem. A project of the Energy Systems Network (ESN), an Indiana consortium consisting of partners from industry, government and universities, it underscores the growing movement toward manufacturing the component parts of a new generation of clean-energy vehicles in the United States.
Recognizing that the future of the U.S. auto industry will depend on developing efficient hybrid and electric vehicles, the Hybrid Initiative will draw on Indiana’s extensive manufacturing experience to build new electric motor systems. “There are certain unique skill sets Indiana has because of our long history of engagement in the auto industry,” Indiana Economic Development Corp. Director Mitch Roob told the Indiana Economic Digest in an interview about the Energy Systems Network. “People that are looking at electric cars gravitate to people who have experience with electric cars.”
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Mo Davison, UAW Regional Director, |
One such manufacturer tapping into Indiana’s strong auto workforce is the Indianapolis-based Allison Transmission, Inc. As a leading manufacturer of the hybrid propulsion systems that power trucks and buses, the company has a 60-year history of building transmission systems. Since 2003, it has built more than 3,000 hybrid systems for buses that have saved 11.7 million gallons of diesel fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by 116,000 metric tons.
Allison plans to expand its hybrid operations to include commercial trucks through the ESN, Department of Energy and commercial channels. Under the DOE’s hybrid initiative, Allison is collaborating with electronic drive component part manufacturers Remy International and Delphi Electronics and Safety. With the support of more than $150 million in matching grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the three companies are aligning their unique expertise in different areas of the commercial truck hybrid propulsion system.
The partnership is already creating jobs in Indiana’s manufacturing sector. Allison’s new Indianapolis factory alone will employ 100 manufacturing workers once it reaches full capacity. As United Auto Workers (UAW) members, these workers will receive family-sustaining wages as well as health and pension benefits.
Eventually the Indianapolis factory will turn out 20,000 commercial-duty hybrid propulsion systems annually. And this is just the beginning. As Lawrence E. Dewey, the Allison Transmission CEO, declared, “We will deliver a new generation of hybrid propulsion solutions to the transportation industry.”
