Eaton Corp. has been awarded several United States patents for the company's Hybrid Electric Power System. The system will be commercially available through several major OEMs in 2007.
The patents are focused on controls and systems related to Eaton's hybrid technology for commercial vehicles. Of particular interest to many commercial vehicle fleets is the systems' patented ePTO (power take-off) feature. In applications where a truck operates from an off-highway job site, such as utility and telecom applications, the Eaton ePTO feature provides the ability to run a vehicle's power take-off while the engine is off – resulting in a fuel savings of up to 60%. This feature also reduces emissions and noise by cutting engine idle times up to 87%.
"The granting of these patents is a very significant milestone for us as we prepare for the production release of our hybrid system," said Kevin Beaty, Manager of Eaton's Hybrid Business Unit. "In addition to protecting our intellectual property, these patents demonstrate some of the unique technology Eaton is bringing to the hybrid power systems marketplace."
