NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Eighteen-Month Final Evaluation 

of UPS Second Generation Diesel 

Hybrid-Electric Delivery Vans

M. Lammert and K. Walkowicz

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

Technical Report

NREL/TP-5400-55658

September 2012
NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

15013 Denver West Parkway

Golden, Colorado 80401

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Eighteen-Month Final Evaluation 

of UPS Second Generation Diesel 

Hybrid-Electric Delivery Vans

M. Lammert and K. Walkowicz

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

Prepared under Task No. FC08.3000

Technical Report

NREL/TP-5400-55658

September 2012
NOTICE

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. 

Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, 

express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of 

any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately 

owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, 

trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, 

or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors 

expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof.

Available electronically at http://www.osti.gov/bridge

Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy

and its contractors, in paper, from:

U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Scientific and Technical Information

P.O. Box 62

Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062

phone: 865.576.8401

fax: 865.576.5728

email: mailto:reports@adonis.osti.gov

Available for sale to the public, in paper, from:

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Technical Information Service

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, VA 22161

phone: 800.553.6847

fax: 703.605.6900

email: orders@ntis.fedworld.gov

online ordering: http://www.ntis.gov/help/ordermethods.aspx

Cover Photos: (left to right) PIX 16416, PIX 17423, PIX 16560, PIX 17613, PIX 17436, PIX 17721

Printed on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste.
iii

Acknowledgments

This evaluation is funded through the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, which is managed by 

Lee Slezak within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy. All publications regarding the United Parcel Service (UPS) hybrid delivery 

van evaluation will be posted on DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site. See 

the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles section at the following link: 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/index.html.

This evaluation, conducted at UPS, would not have been possible without the support and 

cooperation of many people. The authors wish to thank each of the following:

U.S. Department of Energy

Lee Slezak

UPS

Mike Britt

James C. Francis

Andy Grzelak

Robert K. Hall

Bill Brentar

Eaton Corporation

Alex Stucky
iv

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

AVTA Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity

CANBUS controller area network bus

CARB California Air Resources Board

cfm cubic feet per minute

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CO carbon monoxide

CO2 carbon dioxide

CR Conventional Route

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DPF diesel particulate filter

FT&E Fleet Test and Evaluation (NREL team) 

GPS global positioning system

HC hydrocarbon

HHDDT Heavy Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck (duty cycle)

hp horsepower

HTUF4 Hybrid Truck Utility Forum Class 4 (duty cycle) 

KI kinetic intensity

kW kilowatt

mpg miles per gallon

mph miles per hour

MY model year

NOx oxides of nitrogen

NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NYC Comp New York City Composite (duty cycle)

PM particulate matter

ReFUEL Renewable Fuels and Lubricants (Laboratory)

THC total hydrocarbons

UPS United Parcel Service

VDC voltage direct current
v

Executive Summary 

This 18-month final evaluation is part of a series of evaluations by the U.S. Department 

of Energy (DOE). Using an established and documented evaluation protocol, DOE—

through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—has been tracking and 

evaluating new propulsion systems in transit buses and trucks for more than 10 years. 

The DOE/NREL vehicle evaluations are a part of the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity 

(AVTA), which supports DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program.

The role of AVTA is to bridge the gap between research and development and the 

commercial availability of advanced vehicle technologies that reduce petroleum use in 

the United States and improve air quality. The main objective of AVTA projects is to 

provide comprehensive, unbiased evaluations of advanced vehicle technologies in 

commercial use. Data are collected and analyzed for operation, maintenance, 

performance, costs, and emissions characteristics of both advanced-technology fleets and 

comparable conventional-technology fleets that are operating at the same site. AVTA 

evaluations enable fleet owners and operators to make informed vehicle-purchasing 

decisions.

This report focuses on a parallel hybrid-electric diesel delivery van propulsion system

currently being operated by United Parcel Service (UPS). The propulsion system is an 

alternative to the standard diesel system and could enable reductions in emissions as well 

as reductions in petroleum use. 

Evaluation Design

This 18-month evaluation used eleven P100H hybrid vans and eleven P100D 

conventional vans that are located at a UPS facility in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area. 

On-vehicle data logging, fueling, and maintenance records are used to evaluate the 

performance of these hybrid step delivery vans in-use. The two study groups switched 

route assignments during the study to provide a more balanced review of the vehicles on 

the same routes.

In addition, a P100H hybrid and a P100D conventional were tested at NREL’s 

Renewable Fuels and Lubricants (ReFUEL) research laboratory. Testing was performed 

over three standard drive cycles to evaluate the fuel economy and emissions benefits 

gained through hybridization. 

Evaluation Results

The results and related discussions included here focus only on the selected facilities, the 

two P100 study groups, and the two P100 vehicles tested at the ReFUEL laboratory.

Van Use and Duty Cycle

Route and drive cycle analysis showed that the study groups were on different duty 

cycles and would require a route switch between the study groups to provide a valid 

comparison, which UPS accommodated. The hybrid group accumulated 33% fewer miles 

than the conventional group during the complete 18-month study. The hybrid group 

accumulated miles at a slower rate than the conventional group during the 13 months of 
vi

the original route assignments, indicating more “urban” route assignments with a short 

highway leg to the delivery area, but then accumulated miles at a faster rate than the 

conventional group for the 5 months after the route switch when they were assigned the 

original conventional routes.

In-Use Fuel Economy

Fuel economy was evaluated during equal 5-month periods from different years. During 

the second period, the route assignments originally assigned to the conventional and 

hybrid van groups were swapped so that the conventional vehicles were assigned to the 

original hybrid van routes and vice versa.

• Analysis of initial conventional route assignments (lower kinetic intensity): Fuel 

economy of the hybrid group on the original conventional route assignments over 

5 months was 10.4 mpg, 13% greater than the 9.2 mpg of the conventional group

on those routes a year earlier. 

• Analysis of initial hybrid route assignments (higher kinetic intensity): Fuel 

economy of the hybrid group on the original hybrid route assignments over 5 

months was 9.4 mpg, 20% greater than the 7.9 mpg of the conventional group on 

those routes a year later.

The difference in hybrid advantage in fuel economy is as expected. The hybrids 

demonstrated a greater advantage on the initial hybrid route assignments, which were 

more “urban” (low speed, high stops-per-mile routes) and lower advantage on initial 

conventional route assignments with a longer highway leg and less dense delivery zones. 

Maintenance Costs

There was no statistically significant difference in total maintenance cost per mile (P 

value = 0.1128). 

Propulsion-related maintenance cost per mile was 77% higher for the hybrids (P value = 

0.0278). However, this was only 52% more when considered on a cost per delivery day 

basis.

Fuel Costs

Hybrid fuel costs per mile were 11% less than for the conventional vans when a fuel price 

of $3.58/gallon (the average cost of diesel during the study) is used.

Operating Costs

Hybrid vehicle total cost of operation per mile (assuming $3.58/gal) was 3% more than 

the cost of operation for the diesel group ($0.59 vs. $0.57 per mile), but not found to be 

statistically significant (P value = 0.9677).

Reliability

The hybrid group had a cumulative uptime of 92.5% compared to the conventional group 

uptime of 99.7%.
vii

Laboratory Testing

Laboratory dynamometer testing demonstrated 13%–36% hybrid fuel economy 

improvement, depending on duty cycle, and up to a 45% improvement in ton-mi/gal.

Laboratory testing demonstrated an increase in emissions of oxides of nitrogen of 21% to 

49% for the hybrid.
viii

Table of Contents

Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... v

Evaluation Design .............................................................................................................v

Evaluation Results.............................................................................................................v

Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 1

Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity ..................................................................................1

Project Design and Data Collection ..................................................................................2

Host Site Profile—UPS, Minneapolis, Minnesota ............................................................6

Evaluation Results......................................................................................................................... 6

Van Use .............................................................................................................................6

Van Duty Cycle .................................................................................................................8

Fuel Economy..................................................................................................................12

Similar Route Fuel Economy Analysis ...........................................................................13

18-Month Fuel Economy.................................................................................................14

Maintenance Cost Analysis.............................................................................................15

Maintenance Costs...........................................................................................................16

Total Cost per Mile..........................................................................................................21

Reliability ........................................................................................................................21

Batteries...........................................................................................................................22

Laboratory Fuel Economy and Emissions Testing .................................................................. 22

Test Cycle Selection........................................................................................................22

Test Plan ..........................................................................................................................26

Vehicle Specifications.....................................................................................................26

Laboratory Test Results...................................................................................................27

Comparison of Laboratory Results to In-Use Results.....................................................29

Status of UPS Hybrid Fleet .............................................................................................30

Conclusions.................................................................................................................................. 31

Contacts........................................................................................................................................ 32

Appendix: Laboratory Description and Test Methods ............................................................. 33

General Lab Description..................................................................................................33

Chassis Dynamometer.....................................................................................................33

Fuel Storage and Blending ..............................................................................................34

Fuel Metering and Conditioning .....................................................................................35

Air Handling and Conditioning.......................................................................................35

Emissions Measurement..................................................................................................35
ix

List of Figures

Figure 1. UPS hybrid van. .................................................................................................. 2

Figure 2. Eaton hybrid system schematic ........................................................................... 3

Figure 3. Eaton hybrid system components........................................................................ 4

Figure 4. Eaton hybrid system components on UPS undercarriage.................................... 5

Figure 5. Hybrid and conventional monthly mileage per van ............................................ 7

Figure 6. Hybrid and conventional cumulative mileage per group .................................... 7

Figure 7. Hybrid and conventional route visualization....................................................... 9

Figure 8. Hybrid and conventional duty cycle breakdown by miles %............................ 10

Figure 9. Hybrid and conventional duty cycle breakdown by miles traveled .................. 11

Figure 10. Route switch fuel economy analysis time periods .......................................... 13

Figure 11. Total maintenance cost per mile...................................................................... 18

Figure 12. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile............................................................. 19

Figure 13. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile (conventional vans) ............................ 20

Figure 14. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile (hybrids) ............................................. 20

Figure 15. Cumulative uptime .......................................................................................... 22

Figure 16. Average driving speed and KI comparison ..................................................... 23

Figure 17. Stops per mile and KI comparison .................................................................. 24

Figure 18. NYC Comp trace ............................................................................................. 24

Figure 19. HTUF Class 4 trace ......................................................................................... 25

Figure 20. CARB HHDDT trace ...................................................................................... 25

Figure 21. Laboratory fuel economy ................................................................................ 27

Figure 22. Laboratory ton-mi./gallon fuel economy......................................................... 28

Figure 23. Laboratory NOx emissions .............................................................................. 29

Figure 24. Laboratory and in-use fuel economy results ................................................... 30

List of Tables

Table 1. FT&E Heavy-Duty Vehicle Evaluations.............................................................. 1

Table 2. Hybrid Propulsion-Related Systems..................................................................... 3

Table 3. Vehicle System Descriptions................................................................................ 5

Table 4. Drive Cycle Statistics from Vans with GPS Loggers from Each Study Group 

(before any routing changes) ................................................................................... 12

Table 5. Route Switch Fuel Economy (in-use records) of Hybrid and Conventional Vans 

on Two Route Sets................................................................................................... 14

Table 6. Hybrid and Conventional Van Fuel Use and Economy...................................... 14

Table 7. Hybrid and Conventional Group Total and Propulsion Maintenance Costs ...... 16

Table 8. Hybrid and Conventional Van Total Cost per Mile............................................ 17

Table 9. Hybrid and Conventional Van Propulsion Cost per Mile................................... 17

Table 10. Hybrid and Conventional Van Total Cost per Mile.......................................... 21

Table 11. Test Cycle Statistics and In-Field Average Comparison.................................. 26

Table 12. Test Vehicle Information.................................................................................. 26

Table 13. Fuel Economy of Hybrid and Conventional Van on Various Cycles on Chassis 

Dynamometer........................................................................................................... 27
x

Table 14. Ton Fuel Economy of Hybrid and Conventional Van on Various Cycles on 

Chassis Dynamometer ............................................................................................. 28

Table 15. Average NOx Emission Results of Hybrid and Conventional Vans on Specified 

Cycles....................................................................................................................... 28

Table 16. Average Values for Emission Results of Hybrid and Conventional Vans on 

Specified Cycles....................................................................................................... 29
1

Overview 

Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity 

The role of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity 

(AVTA) is to help bridge the gap between research and development and commercial 

availability for advanced vehicle technologies that reduce petroleum use and meet air-quality 

standards. AVTA supports the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program by examining market 

factors and customer requirements and evaluating the performance and durability of alternativefuel and advanced-technology vehicles in fleet applications. The National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Fleet Test and Evaluation (FT&E) team conducts evaluations with 

support from AVTA. 

The main objective of FT&E projects is to conduct comprehensive, unbiased evaluations of 

advanced-technology vehicles. Data collected and analyzed include the operations, maintenance, 

performance, cost, and emissions characteristics of advanced-technology vehicles and 

comparable conventional technology in fleets operating at the same site. The FT&E evaluations 

help fleet owners and operators make informed vehicle-purchasing decisions. The evaluations 

also provide valuable data to DOE about the maturity of the technology being assessed. 

The FT&E team has been conducting several evaluations of advanced-propulsion heavy-duty 

vehicles (see Table 1). Information on these and other evaluations involving advanced 

technologies or alternative fuels, such as biodiesel and Fischer-Tropsch diesel, is available at 

www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest.

Table 1. FT&E Heavy-Duty Vehicle Evaluations 

Fleet Location Vehicle Technology Evaluation Status 

Coca Cola 

Refreshments Miami, FL 2010 Kenworth T-370 Tractors Eaton Hybrid Electric Propulsion Completed in August 2012 

UPS Phoenix, AZ 2007 Freightliner P70 Eaton Hybrid Electric Propulsion Completed in 

FedEx Los Angeles, 

CA 

Ford E-450 strip 

chassis 

Gasoline hybrid electric parcel 

delivery trucks, Azure Dynamics 

Completed in 

January 2011 

UPS Phoenix, AZ P70 Delivery Van Parallel hybrid, Eaton system Completed in 

December 2009 

Long Beach 

Transit 

Long Beach, 

CA 

New Flyer 40-ft low 

floor transit bus Gasoline-electric series hybrid Completed in June 

2008 

Metro St. Louis, MO Gillig 40-ft transit bus Biodiesel blend (B20) Completed in July 

2008 

New York 

City Transit 

Manhattan, NY; 

Bronx, NY 

Orion VII 40-ft transit 

bus 

Series hybrid, BAE Systems 

HybriDrive propulsion system 

(diesel), order of 200 (Gen II); 

order of 125 (Gen I) 

Completed in 

January 2008 

New York 

City Transit 

Manhattan, NY; 

Bronx, NY 

Orion VII 40-ft transit 

bus 

Series hybrid, BAE Systems 

HybriDrive propulsion system 

(diesel), order of 125; DDC S50G 

compressed natural gas engines 

Completed in 

November 2006 

Denver RTD Boulder, CO Gillig 40-ft transit bus Biodiesel blend (B20) Completed in 

October 2006 

King County 

Metro Seattle, WA New Flyer 60-ft articulated transit bus 

Parallel hybrid, GM–Allison EP 50 

System (diesel) 

Completed in 

December 2006 

IndyGo Indianapolis, IN Ebus 22-ft bus Series hybrid, Capstone 

MicroTurbine (diesel) Completed in 2005 

Knoxville 

Area Transit Knoxville, TN Ebus 22-ft bus Series hybrid, Capstone 

MicroTurbine (propane) Completed in 2005 

March 2012 
2

Project Design and Data Collection

This report discusses an 18-month in-use evaluation of 11 model year (MY) 2010 Freightliner 

P100H hybrid step delivery vans (Figure 1) that were placed in service at United Parcel Service’s 

(UPS’s) facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the first half of 2010. These new hybrids are 

an evolution from UPS’s original 50 Eaton hybrids that NREL documented in 12-month and 36-

month studies.

1 The new hybrids have more advanced control algorithms and an integrated 

“engine off at idle” feature that automatically stops and restarts the engine at stoplights and other 

short stops when certain conditions are met. These hybrid vehicles are evaluated against 11 MY 

2010 Freightliner P100D conventional step delivery vans that were placed in service at the same 

facility a couple months after the hybrids. The conventional vans were chosen using UPS’s 

database and comparing the average miles per day of the 11 hybrids to that of conventional vans

that had the same size and cargo capability. Even so, the route profiles are very different,

requiring a route assignment switch between the groups to be evaluated in this report. All fueling 

and maintenance data were collected by UPS from its databases and were shared with NREL for 

this evaluation.

Figure 1. UPS hybrid van.

2

 1 See http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest/research_hybrid_ups.html. 2 This image is reproduced with permission of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. © 2011 United Parcel Service 

of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Photo from UPS, NREL/PIX 19821.
3

Table 2 presents additional details on Eaton Corporation’s parallel hybrid system, and Figure 2 

provides a schematic of the system.

Table 2. Hybrid Propulsion-Related Systems

Category Hybrid Van Description

Manufacturer/integrator Eaton Corporation

Transmission

Fuller medium-duty automated manual

6-speed

Prototype

Motor

Synchronous brushless, permanent magnet

Continuous power, 26 kW

Peak power, 44 kW

Energy storage

Lithium ion batteries

340 VDC

1.8 kWh total storage

Figure 2. Eaton hybrid system schematic
4

Figure 3 shows the primary hybrid components in the Eaton system.

Figure 3. Eaton hybrid system components
5

Figure 4 shows the primary hybrid components arranged in the undercarriage of a UPS delivery 

van.

Figure 4. Eaton hybrid system components on UPS undercarriage

UPS has custom delivery vans built to the company’s specifications. The P100 vehicles in this 

study are manufactured by Freightliner for UPS. Table 3 provides brief descriptions of the

vehicle systems.

Table 3. Vehicle System Descriptions

Van Specification Hybrid Electric Vans Conventional Vans

Van manufacturer Freightliner Corp. Freightliner Corp.

Van model P100H step van P100D step van

Van model year 2010 2010

Engine manufacturer and model Cummins ISB 200 HP

MY 2009

Cummins ISB 200 HP

MY 2009

Emissions equipment DPF DPF

Retarder/regenerative braking Regenerative braking None

Air conditioning type None None

Gross vehicle weight rating 23,000 lbs 23,000 lbs

DPF = diesel particle filter 

Diesel Engine

Electric Motor

Transmission

Front of Vehicle

High Voltage AC Cables

(bright orange)

Power Electronics 

Carrier
6

Host Site Profile—UPS, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The host site consists of one large distribution facility in Minneapolis. Eleven hybrid vans and 11

conventional vans were used for this evaluation. It was not necessary to modify the Minneapolis

facility in any way to implement the hybrid vehicles into the fleet. Drivers were given training on 

the operation of the hybrids, but no restrictions or special accommodations were made for their 

use; however, UPS did assign the hybrid vans to urban routes rather than rural routes to make the 

best use of the hybrid drive train. Dispatch and maintenance practices are the same for both 

vehicle study groups. The Minneapolis facility has on-site fueling, and the vehicles are fueled by 

drivers as needed, using an internal fuel card system. The drivers then log their fueling events on 

their electronic tablets, and the records are uploaded to a central database. Failure on the part of 

the driver to log fueling events led to some months from each study group being left out of fuel 

economy calculations due to inaccurate fueling data. 

Evaluation Results

Van Use

Figure 5 shows the average monthly miles driven per van for each van group with ±95% 

confidence interval lines. The width of the 95% confidence interval gives some idea about how 

uncertain we are about the average based on the variation observed in the data. Hybrid vans were 

placed in service at the end of March 2010. Conventional vans were placed in service from 

March through June 2010. As such, July 2010 is the “clean point” in the data when all study 

vehicles are assumed to be operating in a normal fashion. Monthly usage did not change 

significantly after the clean point until June 2011; the hybrids consistently were driven roughly 

half as many miles throughout this period because of the shorter, denser urban routes they were 

purposely assigned to. In June 2011, a route switch was initiated to balance the evaluation and 

provide data for both vehicle groups on both route types. Vehicles from each group were 

assigned routes previously assigned to the other group; the drivers kept their original route 

assignments but with a new vehicle. The area in orange denotes when the route switch took place 

between the groups, causing the mileage change from June into August 2011. Note that not only 

did the average miles per van swap, but also the width of the 95% confidence interval lines 

swapped as well. The original diesel group routes had a wide range of daily miles driven while 

the hybrids were on routes with more tightly grouped daily miles.
7

Figure 5. Hybrid and conventional monthly mileage per van

Figure 6 shows the cumulative monthly miles driven by each van study group. The area in 

orange denotes when the route switch took place between the groups. Evidenced here again is the 

much slower mileage accumulation of the hybrids until the route switch time frame. At that 

point, the hybrid group began accruing miles faster than the conventional van group.

Figure 6. Hybrid and conventional cumulative mileage per group
8

Van Duty Cycle

Isaac Instruments DRU900/908 data logging devices (Isaacs) with global positioning system 

(GPS) antennas and J1939 controller area network bus (CANBUS) connections were deployed to 

the UPS fleet on two occasions. The first period covered was from July 14, 2010, to July 29, 

2010, and the second was from April 12, 2011, to June 21, 2011. During the first period, only 

three Isaacs were available, and on the second occasion seven vans from each group were 

instrumented with the devices for most of the duration (including one that had been instrumented 

during the previous period). In total, 338 days of hybrid operation and 252 days of conventional 

operation on eight vans from each group were documented. The GPS and J1939 channels were 

recording at a 5-Hz rate. Twenty-three J1939 CANBUS channels where recorded, including

wheel-based vehicle speed, engine speed, and engine fuel rate. The data presented here are not 

representative of the entire UPS fleet or even of the entire depot, but only of the P100 study 

vehicles. Figure 7 shows a GPS visualization of some typical routes of thirteen logged vans. The

exact routes vary daily, but the depictions shown are typical of a day of operation for that van as 

captured by the GPS loggers and show the operation of the hybrids being near the depot with less 

“stem” time while the conventional vehicles include more “stem” time prior to arriving at the 

delivery area.

Comparing the routes driven by the two groups is difficult because of the disparity in the average 

daily miles driven. Initially, the conventional vans averaged 64 miles a day while the hybrids 

averaged only 43 miles a day. Figure 8 shows the average distance (as a percentage) that vans 

with GPS loggers drove at different vehicle speeds. The hybrids drove a greater percentage of 

their distance at slower speeds than the conventional vans did, and the conventional vans drove 

more of their miles operating at higher speeds. 

• The hybrid vans drove 44% of their miles below 20 mph, while the conventional vans

drove only 30.5% of their miles at those slow speeds.

• The van groups drove a similar percentage of their miles at the intermediate speeds of 

20–50 mph: 47% for conventional and 43% for hybrids.

• The hybrid vans drove only 13% of their miles above 50 mph, while the conventional 

vans drove 22% of their miles at those highway speeds. 

The greater percent of miles driven by the hybrids at slower speeds is an indication of a more 

urban duty cycle. The lower percentage of miles driven at highway speeds is an indication of 

routes closer to the depot.
9

Figure 7. Hybrid and conventional route visualization
10

Figure 8. Hybrid and conventional duty cycle breakdown by miles %

Figure 9 shows the average distance (in miles) that vans with GPS loggers drove at different 

vehicle speeds. This distance based chart highlights a different breakdown of the routes. 

• The conventional vans drove more miles at all speeds above 10 mph.

• The hybrid and conventional vans both drove 17 miles in the 0–20 mph range.

• The hybrid vans drove 37% fewer miles in the 20–50 mph range: 19 vs. 30. This 

indicates the conventional vans had longer surface street drives between delivery stops.

• The hybrid vans drove 62% fewer miles in the 50+ mph highway range: 6 vs. 15. This 

indicates the conventional vans had longer highway legs to get to their assigned delivery 

areas.

0

5

10

15

20

% of Distance

Vehicle Speed (mph)

UPS Minneapolis

Conventional vs hybrid delivery duty cycle

Conventional; Total distance traveled = 63.8 miles

Hybrid; Total distance traveled = 42.5 miles
11

Figure 9. Hybrid and conventional duty cycle breakdown by miles traveled

Table 4 presents other duty-cycle statistics gathered from the GPS data logging. 

• The hybrid vans’ average driving speed of 16.5 mph was 21% lower than the 

conventional vans’ 20.7 mph. 

• The hybrid vans averaged roughly the same number of stops per day as the conventional 

vans’ (205 for the hybrid vans vs. 220 for the conventional vans).

• The hybrid vans had 5.3 stops per mile, 37% more than the conventional vans’ 3.9.

• The hybrid vans had 25.7 acceleration events per mile, 34% more than the conventional 

vans’ 19.2. 

These statistics indicate that the hybrid vans were initially operating on very different route types

(urban vs. rural) than the conventional vans. Because of these major differences, the study 

groups switched route assignments in June/July 2011. As of August 2011 the hybrid vans had 

assumed the drive characteristics of the conventional group and the conventional vans had 

assumed the drive characteristics of the hybrid group. The hybrid fuel economy advantage 

discussed below will be compared while the groups were on the same routes rather than during 

the same time periods. Thus, we will gain an understanding of hybrid advantage on two very 

different route sets, one more densely urban and one with more of a highway leg and extended 

surface street driving between stops.

0

2

4

6

8

10

Miles Traveled

Vehicle Speed (mph)

UPS Minneapolis

Conventional vs hybrid delivery duty cycle

Conventional; Total distance traveled = 63.8 miles

Hybrid; Total distance traveled = 42.5 miles
12

Table 4. Drive Cycle Statistics from Vans with GPS Loggers from Each Study Group (before any 

routing changes)

Cycle Statistics Conventional

Average

Hybrid 

Average

Difference

(Conventional

- Hybrid)

% Difference

Distance traveled (miles) 63.8 42.5 21.3 -33%

Average speed over cycle 

(mph) 11.8 8.3 3.5 -30%

Average driving speed 

(mph) 20.7 16.5 4.3 -21%

Maximum speed (mph) 66.2 60.5 5.7 -9%

Time at zero speed (s) 8,670.0 9,059.6 --- ---

Acceleration (% of total 

cycle) 29.5 26.6 2.9 -10%

Deceleration (% of total 

cycle) 27.6 23.9 3.7 -13%

Average acceleration (ft/s2) 2.2 1.9 0.3 -14%

Average deceleration (ft/s2) -2.3 -2.1 -0.2 -8%

Number of acceleration 

events 1,157.5 1,015.9 141.7 -12%

Number of acceleration 

events per mile 19.2 25.7 -6.5 34%

Number of deceleration 

events 1,157.5 1,015.9 141.7 -12%

Number of deceleration 

events per mile 19.2 25.7 -6.5 34%

Number of stops 219.9 205.1 14.8 -7%

Number of stops per mile 3.9 5.3 -1.4 37%

Fuel Economy

UPS fuels its hybrid and conventional vans with standard ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Because of the 

very different route assignments for the hybrid and conventional van groups, a route switch was 

necessary to evaluate the in-use performance fairly. As such fuel economy is considered for the 

entire 18-month study period as well as comparing both groups on the same routes during 

different time periods. One hybrid van clearly was missing many fueling events, including 5 

months with no fueling events recorded, while still reporting normal mileage accumulation. After 

the route switch, a conventional van now assigned to that route showed the same behavior. Most 

fuel economy months from that route were removed from this report, but the affected vans are

still fully considered in the maintenance analysis and reliability sections. Chauvenet’s Criterion 

was used to identify van monthly MPG results that were statistical outliers. This method 

removed 22 vehicle-months from the conventional van group and 48 vehicle-months from the 

hybrid van group that were statistically not possible to occur for that particular vehicle based on 

that vehicle’s performance during each of the two route assignment periods. A 95% confidence 

interval outlier analysis removed an additional 4 vehicle-months from the conventional group 

that had a very low likelihood of occurring. Most of the removed data points were obviously 

impossible for the vehicles to attain, but by using a consistent statistical approach the grey areas 

for each vehicle were treated in the same manner. In total, 74 vehicle-months were removed 

from the original data set of 396 vehicle-months.
13

Similar Route Fuel Economy Analysis

UPS implemented a complete route switch of each of the 11 study vans in both groups from June 

2011 through early August 2011. Fuel economy was analyzed for each route over similar 

calendar year time periods (August 1 through December 31 of both 2011 and 2012). Limiting the 

comparison to these months reduces the affect of seasonal variations both in weather and load. 

This five-month snapshot compares the conventional vans on their original route assignments 

[Conventional Route (CR) 1 period] to the hybrid vans on those routes a year later and the hybrid 

vans on their original route assignments to the conventional vans on those routes a year later

(Conventional Route 2 period). Drivers stayed with their known routes and were assigned a new 

vehicle. Drivers receiving the hybrids had to receive training on their operation before the 

switches could be implemented. Figure 10 illustrated the route assignment time periods being 

compared.

Figure 10. Route switch fuel economy analysis time periods

Route Effect on Fuel Economy

Both study groups had lower mpg on Conventional Route 2 than on Conventional Route 1: 14% 

lower for the conventional vans and 9% lower for the hybrid vans, which validates the statistical 

duty cycle analysis indicating that the conventional group was on a less demanding duty cycle 

while the hybrids were on a more demanding one. Both groups accumulated about half as many 

miles on Conventional Route 2 as on Conventional Route 1, showing that the route switch was 

implemented effectively and the groups assumed each other’s drive characteristics after the 

swap. Table 5 shows the group fuel economy comparison for the route switch. Also of note is

that the hybrid advantage was 13% on the less kinetically intense, more highway-biased route 

assignments (Conventional Route 1), matching well with the laboratory results on the Heavy 

Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck (HHDDT) cycle presented later in this report, while they achieved a

20% hybrid advantage on the more kinetically intense Conventional Route 2 assignments 
14

(although the second route comparison was not quite statistically significant because removing

fueling months eliminated some vans, which reduced the sample set).

Table 5. Route Switch Fuel Economy (in-use records) of Hybrid and Conventional Vans on Two 

Route Sets

Conventional Route 

1

Conventional Route 

2

Effect of Higher KI

Route Assignment

Conventional Aug thru Dec 2010 Aug thru Dec 2011

Mileage 75,404 37,901 -50%

Fuel 8,233 4,822 -41%

Group MPG 9.2 7.9 -14%

MPG Vehicle Months 51 44

Hybrid Group Aug thru Dec 2011 Aug thru Dec 2010

Mileage 62,991 32,149 -49%

Fuel 6,086 3,417 -44%

Group MPG 10.4 9.4 -9%

MPG Vehicle Months 46 39

Hybrid Advantage 13% 20%

t-test P value 

(cumulative mpg of 

individual vans in the 

group)

0.0015 0.1468

KI = kinetic intensity

18-Month Fuel Economy

Because the original route assignments were so different as to necessitate a route switch to fairly 

compare the fuel economy performance of the groups, the overall average fuel economy of the 

groups over the total 18 months is of little analytical value. However, those statistics are included 

here for completeness even though no conclusions of relative performance can be drawn. Table 6

shows the fuel consumption and economy data for each van in each study group. The hybrid 

vans consumed 14,615 gallons of fuel over 145,568 miles for the 18-month period, resulting in 

an average fuel economy for the hybrid vans of 10.0 mpg. The conventional van group

consumed 24,673 gallons of fuel over 218,225 miles for an average of 8.8 mpg. 

Table 6. Hybrid and Conventional Van Fuel Use and Economy

Hybrid Vehicles

Van Fuel Economy 

Miles

Fuel Economy 

Gallons

Miles per 

Gallon

144561 14,119 1,557 9.1

144564 17,067 1,570 10.9

144590 21,816 1,996 10.9

144594 5524 547 10.1

144595 11,986 1,166 10.3

144596 13,028 1,367 9.5

144597 11,193 1,292 8.7

144598 12,383 1,271 9.7

144712 14,843 1,547 9.6

144719 18,313 1,923 9.5
15

Hybrid Vehicles

Van Fuel Economy 

Miles

Fuel Economy 

Gallons

Miles per 

Gallon

144736 10,820 926 11.7

Hybrid Total 145,568 14,615 10.0

Conventional Vehicles

Van Fuel Economy 

Miles

Fuel Economy 

Gallons

Miles per 

Gallon

149765 19,684 2,235 8.8

149772 16,685 1,983 8.4

149777 16,994 2,167 7.8

149779 20,154 2,180 9.2

149780 17,159 1,843 9.3

149783 13,025 1,511 8.6

149784 12,580 1,461 8.6

149831 21,452 2,514 8.5

149832 22,811 2,536 9.0

149833 36,216 3,855 9.4

149871 21,465 2,388 9.0

Conventional 

Total 218,225 24,673 8.8

Maintenance Cost Analysis

This evaluation focuses on van operations spanning 18 of the first 21 months of operation for the 

hybrid and conventional vans. This snapshot does not yield enough operating cost data to 

provide a complete understanding of the full life-cycle cost of the hybrid vans. Understanding 

costs requires an examination of the purchase cost of the vans plus warranty and operation costs

as well as longer-term maintenance activities, such as engine rebuilds or replacements and 

battery replacements, which also must be considered. Finally, it is critical that areas in which

cost savings can be achieved (e.g., in brake repair) be examined. The intent of this evaluation, 

however, is to capture accurate, known operations costs associated with the hybrid and 

conventional vehicles for the selected period. This analysis is not predictive of maintenance costs 

assumed by UPS beyond the warranty period. The exact components and warranty periods—as 

negotiated by UPS, Eaton, and Freightliner—are contractual and confidential.

The hybrid and conventional vans all are still new enough that much of the maintenance is 

completed under warranty. All maintenance for the Eaton hybrid drive was done by Eaton 

mechanics. These maintenance costs are not included in the maintenance-cost analysis in this 

section. Not accounting for warranty repairs in the evaluation of total maintenance cost does 

offer an incomplete picture of total maintenance cost. Even without warranty costs, however, this 

analysis reflects the actual cost to UPS during the period selected.

Maintenance costs were collected in the same manner for each study group. All work orders and 

parts information available were collected for the study vans. Maintenance practices are the same 

for both the conventional and hybrid study groups. The maintenance analysis discussions include 

only the maintenance data that were gathered during the evaluation period on the study group 

vans.
16

Maintenance Costs

This cost category includes the costs for parts and for labor at $50 per hour; it does not include 

warranty costs. All costs related to an accident on a hybrid vehicle have been removed from this 

section as they do not represent the vehicle and powertrain comparison of interest. Cost per mile 

is calculated as follows:

Cost per mile = ((labor hours * 50) + parts cost)/mileage.

The labor rate has been set artificially at a constant rate of $50 per hour; however, other analysts 

can change this rate to one more similar to their own situation. This rate does not directly reflect 

UPS’s current hourly mechanic rate.

Table 7 shows total and propulsion-related maintenance costs for the two study groups. The 

propulsion-related vehicle systems include the engine; transmission; electric propulsion; exhaust; 

fuel; and nonlighting electrical, which includes general electrical, charging, cranking, and 

ignition. The total maintenance cost per mile of $0.219 for the hybrid vans was 30% more than 

the $0.168 for the conventional vans but was not statistically significant (P value = 0.1128); total

maintenance costs directly were only 6% greater. The propulsion-related maintenance cost per 

mile of $0.074 for the hybrid vans was 77% more than the $0.042 for the conventional vans (P 

value = 0.0278); propulsion-related costs directly were only 45% greater. However, because the 

groups were running very different routes for most of the study with the hybrids accumulating 

far fewer miles per day, maintenance costs are also considered on a cost-per-delivery-day basis. 

The total maintenance cost per day of $10.90 for the hybrid vans was 11% more than the $9.80 

for the conventional vans. The propulsion-related maintenance cost per day of $3.68 for the 

hybrid vans was 52% more than the $2.43 for the conventional vans. The higher hybrid 

maintenance costs are driven by more labor hours in most categories with transmission-related 

hours being seven times higher than on the diesel vans. The significantly fewer miles driven by 

the hybrids increases the cost per mile metric dramatically. There was no statistically significant 

difference in group total maintenance costs per month considered directly (P value = 0.7334).

Table 7. Hybrid and Conventional Group Total and Propulsion Maintenance Costs

Study Group Miles Parts Cost Labor 

Hours

Maintenance 

Cost

Cost per 

Mile 

($/mile)

Cost per 

Day 

($/day)

Hybrid total 198,220 $12,703 613 $43,367 $0.219 $10.90

Hybrid propulsionrelated 198,220 $2,779 237 $14,651 $0.074 $3.68

Conventional total 242,957 $17,934 458 $40,835 $0.168 $9.80

Conventional 

propulsion-related 242,957 $2,336 156 $10,124 $0.042 $2.43

Included in the propulsion-related maintenance cost data are exhaust diesel particulate filter 

(DPF) manual regenerations, which are a large part of the propulsion maintenance costs for each 

group. In previous studies, exhaust system-related costs were negligible, but with these 2007-

certified engines the exhaust maintenance is a significant cost driven primarily by the new DPF 

units and the need to manually regenerate them.

Table 8 shows a breakdown by individual van of the total maintenance cost per mile.
17

Table 8. Hybrid and Conventional Van Total Cost per Mile

Total Maintenance Cost Comparison

Car Powertrain Mileage 

Total

Labor 

Hours Parts Cost Cost ($/mile)

149765 Conventional 20,448 29 $878 $0.115

149772 Conventional 18,648 66 $1,426 $0.255

149777 Conventional 17,566 53 $1,097 $0.213

149779 Conventional 21,370 24 $2,363 $0.167

149780 Conventional 17,159 56 $1,954 $0.277

149783 Conventional 18,814 31 $363 $0.103

149784 Conventional 17,811 38 $1,590 $0.195

149831 Conventional 22,922 25 $1,552 $0.123

149832 Conventional 29,805 52 $2,813 $0.182

149833 Conventional 36,216 41 $2,628 $0.129

149871 Conventional 22,198 42 $1,270 $0.152

Total Conventional 242,957 458 $17,934 $0.168

144561 Hybrid 14,940 51 $373 $0.197

144564 Hybrid 17,067 42 $759 $0.169

144590 Hybrid 23,988 61 $1,843 $0.204

144594 Hybrid 17,663 35 $145 $0.106

144595 Hybrid 18,554 100 $1,419 $0.346

144596 Hybrid 14,757 41 $475 $0.170

144597 Hybrid 14,704 56 $1,425 $0.286

144598 Hybrid 16,024 62 $1,793 $0.305

144712 Hybrid 20,247 27 $1,128 $0.123

144719 Hybrid 19,456 80 $1,302 $0.274

144736 Hybrid 20,820 58 $2,041 $0.237

Total Hybrid 198,220 613 $12,703 $0.219

Table 9 shows a breakdown by individual van of the propulsion-related maintenance cost per 

mile. 

Table 9. Hybrid and Conventional Van Propulsion Cost per Mile

Propulsion Maintenance Cost Comparison

Car Powertrain Mileage 

Total

Labor 

Hours Parts Cost Cost ($/mile)

149765 Conventional 20,448 11 $307 $0.042

149772 Conventional 18,648 25 $212 $0.078

149777 Conventional 17,566 22 $61 $0.066

149779 Conventional 21,370 7 $61 $0.018

149780 Conventional 17,159 29 $243 $0.098

149783 Conventional 18,814 6 $209 $0.027

149784 Conventional 17,811 12 $243 $0.048

149831 Conventional 22,922 8 $236 $0.027

149832 Conventional 29,805 12 $371 $0.032

149833 Conventional 36,216 8 $197 $0.017

149871 Conventional 22,198 17 $194 $0.047

Total Conventional 242,957 156 $2,336 $0.042

144561 Hybrid 14,940 21 $154 $0.082

144564 Hybrid 17,067 20 $253 $0.074

144590 Hybrid 23,988 36 $447 $0.094

144594 Hybrid 17,663 10 $124 $0.034
18

Propulsion Maintenance Cost Comparison

Car Powertrain Mileage 

Total

Labor 

Hours Parts Cost Cost ($/mile)

144595 Hybrid 18,554 19 $339 $0.070

144596 Hybrid 14,757 8 $136 $0.036

144597 Hybrid 14,704 23 $55 $0.083

144598 Hybrid 16,024 23 $187 $0.084

144712 Hybrid 20,247 8 $157 $0.027

144719 Hybrid 19,456 40 $234 $0.116

144736 Hybrid 20,820 29 $694 $0.103

Total Hybrid 198,220 237 $2,779 $0.074

Figure 11 shows monthly and cumulative total maintenance costs for the two study groups. The 

hybrid group started off costing more than the conventional group, but stayed level while the 

conventional group’s cost started lower and began to rise after 8 months of study.

Figure 11. Total maintenance cost per mile
19

Figure 12 shows monthly and cumulative propulsion-related maintenance costs for the two study 

groups. 

Figure 12. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile 
20

Figures 13 and 14 show a breakdown of total and propulsion-related maintenance costs per mile 

for the conventional and hybrid study groups, respectively. For both groups note the high 

percentage of costs related to the exhaust system, which is primarily related to manual 

regeneration of the DPF. 

Figure 13. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile (conventional vans)

Figure 14. Propulsion maintenance cost per mile (hybrids)
21

Total Cost per Mile

Table 10 shows a breakdown by individual van of the total cost per mile of operation. Fuel cost 

per mile dominated the total cost per mile for both groups, and the fuel cost per mile was a 

statistically significant 11% less for the hybrid group (P value = 0.0034). However, the greater 

hybrid maintenance costs balanced out the fuel cost savings. As such, total cost per mile was 

found not to be statistically significant (P value = 0.9677). The average price for diesel was 

$3.58/gallon during this study period, and this figure was used to calculate fuel cost per mile.

Table 10. Hybrid and Conventional Van Total Cost per Mile

Total Operating Cost Comparison

Car Powertrain Mileage 

Total

Non-Prop 

Maint 

($/mile)

Prop Maint 

($/mile)

Fuel Cost 

($/mile)

Total Cost 

($/mile)

149765 Conventional 20,448 $0.073 $0.042 $0.406 $0.521

149772 Conventional 18,648 $0.177 $0.078 $0.425 $0.680

149777 Conventional 17,566 $0.147 $0.066 $0.457 $0.670

149779 Conventional 21,370 $0.148 $0.018 $0.387 $0.554

149780 Conventional 17,159 $0.178 $0.098 $0.385 $0.661

149783 Conventional 18,814 $0.076 $0.027 $0.415 $0.518

149784 Conventional 17,811 $0.147 $0.048 $0.416 $0.611

149831 Conventional 22,922 $0.096 $0.027 $0.420 $0.542

149832 Conventional 29,805 $0.149 $0.032 $0.398 $0.580

149833 Conventional 36,216 $0.112 $0.017 $0.381 $0.510

149871 Conventional 22,198 $0.105 $0.047 $0.398 $0.550

Total Conventional 242,957 $0.126 $0.042 $0.405 $0.573*

144561 Hybrid 14,940 $0.115 $0.082 $0.395 $0.592

144564 Hybrid 17,067 $0.095 $0.074 $0.329 $0.498

144590 Hybrid 23,988 $0.110 $0.094 $0.328 $0.532

144594 Hybrid 17,663 $0.072 $0.034 $0.355 $0.461

144595 Hybrid 18,554 $0.277 $0.070 $0.348 $0.694

144596 Hybrid 14,757 $0.134 $0.036 $0.376 $0.545

144597 Hybrid 14,704 $0.203 $0.083 $0.413 $0.699

144598 Hybrid 16,024 $0.221 $0.084 $0.367 $0.672

144712 Hybrid 20,247 $0.096 $0.027 $0.373 $0.497

144719 Hybrid 19,456 $0.158 $0.116 $0.376 $0.649

144736 Hybrid 20,820 $0.134 $0.103 $0.306 $0.543

Total Hybrid 198,220 $0.152 $0.078 $0.359 $0.589*

*not a statistically significant comparison at the 95% confidence level

Reliability

As previously stated, some of the costs incurred by the vehicles were covered by in-warranty 

repairs and possibly were not reported as part of this report. Another measure of system 

reliability is the up-time or availability of the vehicles. UPS records instances in which a vehicle 

is not available to load in the morning as scheduled. Scheduled maintenance events of any kind 

do not get recorded in this way, so only unscheduled maintenance is included. During this 18-

month evaluation, there were 380 operational days available for deliveries for a total of 4,180

days for each study group of eleven vans. The hybrid group missed substantially more days of 

operation than the conventional group (200 days vs. 13 days), especially during the first 3 

months of the study. Figure 15 shows the monthly and cumulative uptime for each group as a 

percentage of the total available delivery days.
22

Figure 15. Cumulative uptime 

Batteries

The Eaton system uses lithium ion batteries supplied by Hitachi for energy storage. The batteries

have a capacity of 1.8 kWh and operate at a nominal voltage of 340 VDC. These batteries and 

associated reliability data were not available to NREL during the evaluation period for detailed 

evaluation. The batteries are included in the power electronics carrier shown in Figures 3 and 4. 

The service life of the battery is estimated by Eaton at more than 7 years.

Laboratory Fuel Economy and Emissions Testing

Two UPS delivery vehicles were tested on the chassis dynamometer at NREL's Renewable Fuels 

and Lubricants (ReFUEL) Research Laboratory. The remainder of this document includes the 

test plan and results from the vehicle testing performed. The ReFUEL laboratory description, 

experimental setup, and test procedures are given in the appendix.

Test Cycle Selection

Figures 16 and 17 illustrate how the HHDDT, Hybrid Truck Utility Forum Class 4 (HTUF4) and 

New York City Composite (NYC Comp) cycles compare to the observed daily in-use fleet data. 

The selected cycles bracket the range of observed field data well on these and other metrics and 

bracket the in-field data on both the X and Y axes. Although the curves created by these three 

cycles do not perfectly match the field data, they are the best fit available using standard duty 

cycles and considering all of the prioritized metrics, only some of which are shown here. The 

NYC Comp cycle is a bit more aggressive than most of the observed field data points from 

Minneapolis in regard to low average speed, high stops per mile, and high kinetic intensity (KI), 
23

but this cycle represents a better hybrid scenario that may be available in other UPS fleet 

locations. Most of the observed field data points fall around the HTUF4 cycle or between it and 

the NYC Comp cycle. The HHDDT cycle brackets the observed data on the more “highway 

speed”-dominant end of the UPS in-use data.

Also, it is important to note the spread of hybrid and conventional vehicle data in the cloud of 

observed field data. Half of the conventional vehicle data is clearly more highway oriented and 

less intense than the hybrid data. The remainder of the conventional data is included with the 

hybrid data, again reinforcing the need for the route switch in the field analysis.

Figure 16. Average driving speed and KI comparison
24

Figure 17. Stops per mile and KI comparison

Selected Duty Cycle Description

The NYC Comp duty cycle (Figure 18) represents “city” or urban driving commonly performed 

by medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The NYC Comp cycle is 1,030 seconds with 

an average driving speed of approximately 13.1 mph and travels a distance of 2.5 miles with a KI 

of 4.3. This cycle was determined to represent the most “urban” route observed during the drive 

cycle assessment of the UPS fleet and may be representative of typical routes in other cities. The 

most “urban” driving of the field data collected shows most of the data below a KI of 3 and 

above 15 mph average speed, so this cycle brackets the urban end of the spectrum.

Figure 18. NYC Comp trace
25

The HTUF4 duty cycle (Figure 19) is a duty cycle lasting approximately 3,336 seconds with an 

average driving speed of approximately 22.5 mph and travels a distance of 11.2 miles with a KI 

of 1.51. This cycle was selected to represent the middle range of observed UPS operation in 

Minneapolis; much of the field data collected is between 15 and 25 mph average speed with a KI 

of 1 to 3.

Figure 19. HTUF Class 4 trace 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) HHDDT duty cycle (Figure 20) is a composite 

duty cycle developed to represent medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. It consists of 

four segments: an initial idle segment (600 sec, average driving speed 0 mph), a creep segment 

(250 sec, average driving speed approximately 3 mph), a transient segment (650 sec, average 

driving speed approximately 18 mph), and finally, a highway segment (2,100 sec, average 

driving speed approximately 43 mph). The total cycle, which lasts 3,600 seconds, reaches a top 

speed of 59.3 mph and travels a distance of 26 miles with an average speed of 35.6 mph and a KI 

of 0.17. This cycle was selected to bracket the most “rural” or “highway” type operation 

observed in the UPS Minneapolis fleet. The most rural type of driving of the field data collected 

shows most of the data are above a KI of 0.7 and below 27 mph average speed. 

Figure 20. CARB HHDDT trace 
26

The test cycle statistics are shown in Table 11. These test cycles bracket the in-use GPS data 

discussed earlier with the NYC Comp cycle having slower speeds, more stops per mile, and 

highest KI while the HHDDT cycle is more highway oriented with higher speeds and low stops 

per mile and KI. HTUF 4 more closely matches the midrange of the GPS data.

Table 11. Test Cycle Statistics and In-Field Average Comparison

Cycle Statistics

Distance 

Traveled 

(miles)

Average 

Speed over 

Cycle 

(mph)

Average 

Driving 

Speed 

(mph)

Maximum 

Speed

(mph)

Number of 

Stops per 

Mile

Kinetic 

Intensity 

(1/mi)

NYC Comp 2.5 8.8 13.1 36 8.0 4.30

HTUF4 11.2 12.1 22.5 56.5 2.5 1.51

CARB HHDDT 26.0 26.0 35.6 59.3 0.5 0.17

Hybrid Van

in-field Data Range 16 – 86 3.3 – 13.2 11.4 – 27.1 38 – 79 2.2 – 9.1 0.7 – 4.3

Conventional Van 

in-field Data Range 22 – 133 3.3 – 19.3 11.3 – 28.4 53 – 74 1.6 – 10 0.6 – 4.4

Test Plan

Tests were performed on one 2010 hybrid electric Workhorse P100H delivery van and one 

conventional 2009 Workhorse P100D delivery van during May and June 2011 to determine 

emissions and fuel economy benefits of the hybrid electric powertrain being evaluated at UPS.

The 2009 conventional van is identical in specification to the 2010 conventional vans studied in 

Minneapolis, but was available closer to the laboratory test location. The hybrid test vehicle was 

transported from the study group in Minneapolis for the laboratory testing. The tests were 

conducted over the NYC Comp cycle, the HTUF Class 4 cycle, and the CARB HHDDT cycle. 

Vehicle exhaust emissions and fuel consumption were measured for repeated test conditions. All 

dynamometer sensors and instruments were monitored and recorded continuously by the 

ReFUEL data acquisition system throughout each test cycle run, unless otherwise noted. 

Vehicle Specifications

Table 12 shows the test vehicle information. Vehicle test weights are different because the 

hybrid system adds to the curb weight. Each vehicle was loaded with the same amount of cargo 

weight (4,000 lbs).

Table 12. Test Vehicle Information

Conventional P100D Hybrid P100H

Engine Cummins

ISB 07 (CM2150)

Cummins

ISB 07 (CM2150)

Transmission Allison Auto HS 2200 Series Eaton Automated Manual

Gross Vehicle Weight 

Rating 23,000 lbs 23,000 lbs

Curb Weight 11,020 lbs 12,260 lbs

Test Weight 15,020 lbs 16,260 lbs
27

Conventional P100D Hybrid P100H

After Treatment DPF DPF

Fuel Diesel Diesel

Chassis Morgan Olson/Freightliner 

P100D Utilimaster P100H

Laboratory Test Results

All fuel economy and emissions results are averaged over four test runs of each cycle. Fuel 

economy results for the vans are shown in Table 13 and in Figure 21 with ±95% confidence 

interval error bars. The hybrid vans showed a 13%–36% improvement in fuel economy over the 

conventional vans on the tested duty cycles.

Table 13. Fuel Economy of Hybrid and Conventional Van on Various Cycles on Chassis 

Dynamometer 

Fuel Economy NYC Comp HTUF4 HHDDT

Conventional P100D (mpg) 6.8 7.5 9.6

Hybrid P100H (mpg) 8.8 10.1 10.8

Hybrid Advantage (%) 29% 36% 13%

t-test P Value 0.0001 0.0000 0.0002

Figure 21. Laboratory fuel economy
28

Ton-mi./gal fuel economy results for the vans are shown in Table 14 and in Figure 22 with ±95% 

confidence interval error bars. The hybrid vans showed a 21%–45% improvement in fuel 

economy over the conventional vans on the tested duty cycles.

Table 14. Ton Fuel Economy of Hybrid and Conventional Van on Various Cycles on Chassis

Dynamometer

Ton Fuel Economy NYC Comp HTUF4 HHDDT

Conventional P100D (ton-mi./gal) 51.1 56.2 72.0

Hybrid P100H (ton-mi./gal) 70.9 81.6 87.2

Hybrid Advantage (%) 39% 45% 21%

t-test P Value 0.0000 0.0000 0.0001

Figure 22. Laboratory ton-mi./gallon fuel economy

Emissions results for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are shown in Table 15 and in Figure 23 with 

±95% confidence interval error bars. NOx emissions increased on the hybrid on all cycles, and 

the results were statistically significant. The engines from both the hybrid and conventional 

vehicles were of the same engine family, model, model year, U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) NOx certification level, and horsepower rating. Heavy-duty engines are certified 

with the EPA engine certification test, but are not certified with the completed hybrid 

configuration. Engine operation during a chassis dynamometer test is different than during the 

EPA engine certification test.

Table 15. Average NOx Emission Results of Hybrid and Conventional Vans on Specified Cycles

NOx Emissions NYC Comp HTUF4 HHDDT

Conventional P100D (g/mile) 6.8 5.2 3.2

Hybrid P100H (g/mile) 8.2 6.6 4.8

Hybrid Increase (%) 21% 28% 49%

t-test P Value 0.0001 0.0001 0.0000
29

Figure 23. Laboratory NOx emissions 

Emissions results for carbon dioxide (CO2), total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO), 

and particulate matter (PM) are shown in Table 16 and in Figures 24–27 with ±95% confidence 

interval error bars. Results that are not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level are in 

the gray areas. CO2 emissions were consistently reduced on the hybrid as this is a measure of 

fuel consumption. Emissions of THC, CO, and PM were all extremely low for both vehicles on 

all cycles, and most differences were not statistically significant. 

Table 16. Average Values for Emission Results of Hybrid and Conventional Vans on Specified 

Cycles

Comparison of Laboratory Results to In-Use Results

The J1939 data logging devices used during the duty cycle study were also used during the 

dynamometer testing to assess the accuracy of their fuel economy measurement when used in the 

field. Data logger-derived fuel economy was consistently 6% higher on the conventional van and 

11% higher on the hybrid van as compared to the in-laboratory gravimetric measurements (as 

described in the appendix) of those test runs; therefore, these offsets were used to correct the 

field data in the analysis below. Also, zero-speed fuel usage has been removed to eliminate the 

effect of high idle times observed in the field (30-55% of the time for the conventional and 

Diesel Hybrid Hybrid

% diff

P

Value

Diesel Hybrid Hybrid

% diff

P

Value

Diesel Hybrid Hybrid

% diff

P

Value

CO2

(g/mile) 1466 1143 -22% 0.000 1357 1008 -26% 0.000 1049 965 -8% 0.006

THC

(g/mile) 0.06 0.10 73% 0.027 0.00 -0.01 259% 0.58 0.00 0.02 942% 0.21

CO

(g/mile) 1.58 1.05 -33% 0.09 0.17 0.90 423% 0.000 0.20 0.14 -32% 0.38

PM

(g/mile) 0.0011 0.0009 -15% 0.82 0.0001 0.0003 272% 0.14 0.0003 0.0011 325% 0.26

NYC Comp HTUF 4 HHDDT
30

hybrid vans) as compared to the relatively low idle times that are part of the three standard 

industry test cycles. 

Figure 24 shows a comparison of laboratory results to the corrected in-use vehicle days and 

vehicle averages. The vehicle days show the wide daily variation in fuel economy while the 

vehicle averages generally fall in line with the laboratory testing results—higher-KI drive cycles 

result in lower fuel economy. It is also clear that the hybrid group averages are more kinetically 

intense while half of the conventional group has lower KI averages than all the hybrids. 

Conventional van averages ranged from 4.9 to 9.1 mpg, while hybrid van averages ranged from 

8.2 to 10.4 mpg. In total, 338 days of hybrid van operation and 252 days of conventional van 

operation on eight vans from each group were documented and are displayed in this figure.

Figure 24. Laboratory and in-use fuel economy results

Status of UPS Hybrid Fleet

UPS was satisfied with the performance of the original 50 (prototype) hybrid electric vans over 

the first year of service, which is documented in 12- and 36-month NREL technical reports.

3

UPS ordered and has taken delivery of an additional 200 second-generation hybrids with 

additional features, including “engine off at idle”; this report documents those updates. 

 3 http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/fleettest/research_hybrid_ups.html
31

Conclusions

• Cumulative miles per van for the hybrids were 33% less than the conventional group 

during the complete 18-month study. The hybrid group accumulated miles at a slower 

rate than the conventional group during the 13 months of the original route assignments, 

but at a faster rate than the conventional group for the 5 months after the route switch.

• The study groups were on significantly different duty cycles, necessitating a route switch 

between the groups to more accurately compare fuel economy and maintenance costs.

• Fuel economy before and after the route switch during equal 5-month periods from 

different years on a route assignment was considered.

o “Conventional,” lower-KI route analysis: Fuel economy of the hybrid group on 

the original conventional route assignments over 5 months was 10.4 mpg, or 13% 

greater than the 9.2 mpg of the conventional group on those routes a year earlier. 

o “Hybrid,” higher-KI route analysis: Fuel economy of the hybrid group on the 

original hybrid route assignments over 5 months was 9.4 mpg, or 20% greater 

than the 7.9 mpg of the conventional group on those routes a year later.

o The difference in hybrid advantage in fuel economy is as expected. The hybrids 

demonstrated a greater advantage on more urban, low speed, high stops-per-mile 

route assignments and lower advantage on route assignments with a longer 

highway leg and less dense delivery zones.

• Total maintenance cost per mile was 30% higher for the hybrids, but was not statistically 

significant (P value = 0.1128). However, this was only 11% more when considered on a 

cost-per-delivery-day basis.

• Propulsion-related maintenance cost per mile was 77% higher for the hybrids (P value = 

0.0278). However, this was only 52% more when considered on a cost-per-delivery-day 

basis.

• Fuel costs per mile (assuming $3.58/gal) for the hybrids were 11% less than those for the 

conventional vans (P value = 0.0034).

• Total operating costs per mile (assuming $3.58/gal) for the hybrids were not found to be 

statistically significant (P value = 0.9677).

• The hybrid group had a cumulative uptime of 92.5% compared to the conventional group 

uptime of 99.7%.

• Laboratory testing demonstrated 13% to 36% increase in fuel economy for the hybrid. 

• Laboratory testing demonstrated 21% to 45% increase in ton-mi/gal for the hybrid.

• Laboratory testing demonstrated an increase in NOx emissions of 21% to 49% for the 

hybrid.
32

Contacts

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Program

Lee Slezak

Manager, Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity

Phone: 202-586-2335

E-mail: lee.slezak@ee.doe.gov

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Mike Lammert

Project Engineer

Phone: 303-275-4067

E-mail: michael.lammert@nrel.gov

Kevin Walkowicz

Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity Lead

Phone: 303-275-4492

E-mail: kevin.walkowicz@nrel.gov

United Parcel Service 

Mike Britt 

Director of Maintenance & Engineering, Ground Fleet

Phone: 404-828-4661

E-mail: mbritt@ups.com

James C. Francis

UPS Engineering - Area Automotive Manager, Northern Plains District

Phone: 612-379-6610

E-mail: jcfrancis@ups.com

Eaton Corporation

Alex Stuckey

Special Projects Engineering

Phone: 269-342-3105

E-mail: AlexBStucky@Eaton.com
33

Appendix: Laboratory Description and Test Methods

General Lab Description 

The vehicles were tested at the Renewable Fuels and Lubricants (ReFUEL) Laboratory, which is 

operated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and located in Denver, 

Colorado. The lab includes a heavy-duty vehicle (chassis) test cell and an engine dynamometer 

test cell with emissions measurement capability. Regulated emissions measurements are 

performed using procedures consistent with SAE J2711. Instrumentation and sensors at the 

laboratory are maintained with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-traceable 

calibration. Test procedures, calibrations, and measurement accuracies are maintained to meet 

the requirements outlined in the current Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, Section 86, 

Subpart N. Data acquisition and combustion analysis equipment are used to measure vehicle 

performance and emissions. Other capabilities of the laboratory include systems for sampling 

and analyzing unregulated emissions, on-site fuel storage and fuel blending equipment, highspeed data acquisition hardware and software to support in-cylinder measurements, and fuel 

ignition quality testing. Instrumentation and sensors at the laboratory are maintained with NISTtraceable calibration.

Chassis Dynamometer

The ReFUEL laboratory’s chassis dynamometer is installed in the main high-bay area of the 

laboratory. The roll-up door to the high bay is 14 ft x 14 ft, high enough to accept all highwayready vehicles without modification. The dynamometer is installed in a pit below the ground 

level, such that the only exposed part of the dynamometer is the top of the 40-in.-diameter rolls. 

Two sets of rolls are installed, so that twin-axle tractors can be tested. The distance between the 

rolls can be varied between 42 in. and 56 in. The dynamometer will accommodate vehicles with 

a wheelbase between 89 in. and 293 in. The dynamometer can simulate up to 80,000-lb vehicles 

at speeds up to 60 mph. 

The chassis dynamometer, illustrated in Figure A-1 is composed of three major components: the 

rolls, which are in direct contact with the vehicle tires during testing; the direct current electric 

motor (380 hp absorbing/360 hp motoring) dynamometer; and the flywheels. 

The rolls are the means by which power is absorbed from the vehicle. The rolls are attached to 

gearboxes that increase the speed of the central shaft by a factor of 5. The flywheels, mounted on 

the back of the dynamometer, provide a mechanical simulation of the vehicle inertia. 

The electric motor is mounted on trunnion bearings and is used to measure the shaft torque from 

the rolls. The energy absorption capability of the dynamometer is used to apply the “road load,”

which is a summation of the aerodynamic drag and friction losses that the vehicle experiences in 

use, as a function of speed. The road load may be determined experimentally if data are available 

or estimated from standard equations. The electric dynamometer is also used to adjust the 

simulated inertia, either higher or lower than the 31,000-lb base dynamometer inertia, as the test 

plan requires. The inertia simulation range of the chassis dynamometer is 8,000–80,000 lb. The 

electric motor may also be used to simulate grades and provide braking assist during 

decelerations. 

The test vehicle is secured with the drive axles over the rolls. A driver’s aid monitor in the cab is 

used to guide the vehicle operator in driving the test trace. A large fan may be used to cool the 
34

vehicle radiator during testing. The chassis dynamometer is supported by 72 channels of data 

acquisition in addition to the emissions measurement, fuel metering, and combustion analysis 

subsystems. 

The dynamometer is capable of simulating vehicle inertia and road load during drive cycle 

testing. When the vehicle is jacked up off the rolls, an automated dynamometer warm-up 

procedure is performed daily, prior to testing, to ensure that parasitic losses in the dynamometer 

and gearboxes have stabilized at the appropriate level to provide repeatable loading. An unloaded 

coast-down procedure is also conducted to confirm that inertia and road load are being simulated 

by the dynamometer control system accurately. Between test runs, a loaded coast-down 

procedure is performed to further ensure the stability of vehicle and dynamometer parasitic 

losses and accurate road load simulation during testing.

Figure A-1. Chassis dynamometer schematic

Fuel Storage and Blending

There are buildings designed specifically for safely storing and handling fuels at the ReFUEL 

facility. The fuel storage shed is 8 ft x 26 ft and holds up to 48 drums (55 gal. each). Features 

include heating/cooling, secondary containment to 25% of capacity, continuous ventilation, 

explosion-proof wiring/lighting, and a dry chemical fire suppression system. 

The fuel blending shed is 8 ft x 14 ft and has a nominal storage capacity of 24 drums. It has all of 

the features of the storage shed plus explosion-proof electrical outlets for powering accessories. 

The fuel blending can be performed on a gravimetric or volumetric basis, with capability for both 

large- (L/kg) and small-scale (cc/g) measurements. 

A fuel line inside a sealed conduit delivers the fuel from the supply drum to the fuel 

metering/conditioning system inside the ReFUEL laboratory, eliminating the need for bulk fuel 

storage inside the laboratory. Another fuel line in the same conduit delivers waste fuel back to 

the fuel blending shed for storage (waste fuel is generated only when a fuel changeover requires 

a flush of the system). 
35

Fuel Metering and Conditioning

The fuel metering and conditioning system (Figure 

A-2) supports test work for both the engine and the 

chassis dynamometers. The meter measures 

volumetric flow to an accuracy of ±0.5% of the 

reading, with a manufacturer’s stated reproducibility 

of 0.2%. An in-line sensor measures the density with 

an accuracy of ±0.001 g/cc, allowing an accurate mass 

measurement over the test cycle even if the density of 

the fuel blend is not known prior to testing. 

Air Handling and Conditioning

Dilution air and the air supplied to the test engine or vehicle for combustion are derived from a 

common source, a roof-mounted system that conditions the temperature of the air and humidifies 

as needed to meet desired specifications. The system can also pressurize the incoming air to 

simulate sea level combustion. This gives the lab the ability to simulate any altitude between sea 

level and 5,280 feet. This air is passed through a HEPA filter, in accordance with 2007 CFR 

specifications, to eliminate background particulate matter as a source of uncertainty in particulate 

measurements. The average inlet air temperature to the vehicle is maintained within a window of 

75°F ± 4°F for all test runs, and average humidity is controlled to 75 grains/lb (absolute) ± 4 

grains/lb. 

Emissions Measurement

The ReFUEL Laboratory’s emissions measurement system supports both the engine and chassis 

dynamometers. It is based on the full-scale exhaust dilution tunnel method with a constant 

volume sampling system for mass flow measurement. The system is designed to comply with the 

requirements of the 2007 version of 40 CFR 86 Subpart N. Exhaust from the engine or vehicle 

flows through insulated piping to the full-scale 18-in. diameter stainless steel dilution tunnel. A 

static mixer ensures thorough mixing of exhaust with conditioned, filtered, dilution air prior to 

sampling of the dilute exhaust stream to measure gaseous and particulate emissions.

A system with three venturi nozzles (Figure A-3) is 

employed to maximize the flexibility of the emissions 

measurement system. Featuring 500-cubic foot per minute 

(cfm), 1,000-cfm, and 1,500-cfm venturi nozzles and gastight valves, the system flow can be varied from 500 cfm to 

3,000 cfm flow rates in 500-cfm increments. 

This allows the dilution level to be tailored to the engine 

size being tested (whether on the engine stand or in a 

vehicle), maximizing the accuracy of the emissions measurement equipment. 

The gaseous emissions bench is a Pierburg model AMA-2000 (Figure A-4, center). It features 

continuous analyzers for THC, NOx, CO, CO2, and oxygen. The system also features autoranging, automated calibration, zero check, and span check features as well as integrating 

functions for calculating cycle emissions. It communicates with the ReFUEL data acquisition 

systems through a serial interface. 

 Figure A-2. Pierburg fuel metering system

Figure A-3. Venturi nozzles
36

There are two heated sample trains for gaseous 

emissions measurement: one for HC and another for 

the other gaseous emissions. NOx and HC 

measurements are performed on a wet basis, while 

CO, CO2 and oxygen are measured on a dry basis. 

Sample probes are located in the same plane in the 

dilution tunnel. 

The particulate matter sample control bench, shown in

Figure A-4, is managed by the ReFUEL data 

acquisition system through a serial connection. It 

maintains a desired sample flow rate through the 

particulate matter (PM) filters in proportion to the 

overall constant volume sampling flow, in accordance 

with the CFR. Stainless steel filter holders, designed to 

the 2007 CFR requirements (Figure A-5, center), 

house 47-mm-diameter Teflon membrane filters 

through which the dilute exhaust sample flows. The 

PM sampling system is capable of drawing a sample directly from the large full-scale dilution 

tunnel or utilizing secondary dilution to achieve the desired temperature, flow, and concentration 

characteristics. A cyclone separator, as described in the CFR requirements, is employed to 

mitigate tunnel PM artifacts.

A dedicated clean room/environmental chamber (Figure A-5, left) is inside the ReFUEL facility. 

It is a Class 1000 clean room with precise control over the temperature and humidity (±1°C for 

temperature and dew point). This room is used for all filter handling, conditioning, and weighing.

The microbalance (Figure A-5, right) for weighing PM filters has a readability of 0.1 μg (a CFR 

requirement) and features a barcode reader for filter identification and tracking and a computer 

interface for data acquisition. The microbalance is installed on a specially designed table to 

eliminate variation in the measurement due to vibration. The microbalance manufacturer 

(Sartorius) was consulted on the design of the clean room, to ensure that the room air flow would 

be compatible with the microbalance.

Figure A-5. Class 1000 clean room, filter housing, and microbalance

Figure A-4. Emissions bench