Working Groups

What Are Working Groups?
Working Groups are targeted, user-driven teams made up of leaders from commercial and military fleets interested in using hybrid trucks in a specific application. While membership in the working groups is generally limited to user fleets only, truck makers, system developers, suppliers, the U.S. Army’s National Automotive Center (NAC) and other organizations often play an important supporting role.

With WestStart acting as a facilitator, the goal of the working groups is for users to identify a common truck type, size and duty cycle across fleets, and determine if that platform might work as a hybrid truck. If so, the group will outline a common performance specification and a business case for this vehicle with the intent of working with truck and system makers to build and sell such a truck.

Working group fleets are encouraged to enter into purchase and use commitments, assuming the truck meets the specification. The initial vision is that the first level production (pre-production) would be relatively small – enough to allow first-mover fleets to purchase and validate a few vehicles per fleet prior to larger purchases.

Seven working groups are currently active:

• Hybrid Utility Truck Working Group – focusing on platforms for the utility industry and related uses, such as tree trimming, telecom and other Class 5-7 work trucks. The current focus is on aerial lift trouble or “bucket” trucks in the medium heavy-duty weight range. Florida Power & Light serves as the user lead for this group. This group now has 24 pre-production hybrid trucks deployed and is beginning fleet trials of the trucks as part of a national pilot project. The group is preparing requirements for Class 5 applications, reviewing plug-in hybrid requirements and has collected fleet purchase commitments for an additional 100 hybrid trucks.
Contact: George Survant, Director of Fleet Services, Florida Power & Light.
Click here for recent developments
Please also visit the Information page for recent test results and briefing materials.

• Hybrid Parcel Delivery Truck Working Group – focusing on class 4 – 6 urban parcel delivery vehicles and similar applications. This group is now concentrating exclusively on hydraulic hybrid technologies and is developing common hybrid vehicle specifications and duty-cycle data. FedEx Ground and United Parcel Service (UPS) serve as the user leads for this group.
Contact: Jerry Swart, Managing Director, Environmental Services, FedEx Ground; Robert Hall, Fleet Environmental Manager, UPS.
Click here for recent developments

• Hybrid Refuse Truck Working Group – focusing primarily on class 8 solid waste collection vehicles. This group is technology-neutral and is open to hybrid-electric, hydraulic hybrid and potentially other hybrid drive system technologies. This group is currently developing a common hybrid refuse chassis specification and collecting duty cycle and refuse market data to support business case development. The City of Chicago serves as the user lead for this group.
Contact: Matthew Stewart, Senior Automotive Equipment Analyst, City of Chicago, Department of Fleet Management.
Click here for recent developments

HTUF Hybrid Refuse Truck RFP (.pdf: 103 KB)
Hybrid Refuse Vehicle RFP Questions (.pdf: 5KB)

• Hybrid Bus Working Group – focusing on the commercialization of hybrid drivetrains in shuttle type buses (those 35 feet and under but primarily in and around 25 feet, Class 3 - 6).  The purpose of this working group is twofold: 1) to define a common truck/bus chassis in these vehicle classes which will lower manufacturing costs and speed hybridization in shuttle bus applications; and 2) to organize fleet operators interested in purchasing hybrid cab/chassis (cutaway shuttle-type buses).
Who should be involved?  Public and private operators of shuttle bus, paratransit bus, and smaller-sized (Type A, B, C) school bus fleets interested in participating in the activities stated in the purpose and goals of the working group and are motivated to get the industry moving by purchasing fully-functional, pre-production, factory-warranted vehicles.
Contact: Tony Bryant, Bus Maintenance Director, TriMet
Click here for recent developments

• Plug-In Task Force - investigating users’ performance expectations for plug-in hybrid trucks. Plug-in hybrid trucks (PHETs) are defined as hybrids that have larger batteries and can partly or fully recharge from the grid resulting in greater displacement of diesel or gasoline fuel by electricity, leading to greater fuel economy as well.
Contact: Jasna Tomic, WestStart-CALSTART liaison

• Incentive Working Group – working to implement the Energy Policy Act of 2005 heavy-duty hybrid tax credits and to develop better national and regional incentives that can make heavy hybrids a reality sooner.
Contact: Bill Van Amburg, WestStart-CALSTART liaison

• Hybrid Class 8 Over the Road and Regional Delivery Working Group – bringing hybrid technology to the highest fuel using truck sector. This working group is currently being formed and is seeking interested fleets.
Contact: Richard Parish, WestStart-CALSTART liaison

How to Become Involved
Sign up to become a participant in the HTUF process.

Call or e-mail:

Bill Van Amburg (WestStart) Senior Vice President Phone:(626) 744-5600 48 S. Chester Ave. Pasadena, CA 91106

Richard Parish (WestStart) Senior Program Manager Phone: (303) 825-7550 1536 Wynkoop St., Suite 600 Denver, CO 80202