Parker Confirms 43 Percent Reduction in Fuel Consumption and 99 Percent Uptime for Refuse Vehicles Using RunWise® Technology

CLEVELAND, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH), the global leader in motion and control technologies, today announced positive results after more than a year of service for its fleet of  pre-production vehicles operating in several communities in South Florida. These Autocar E3 refuse vehicles are equipped with Parker's RunWise® Advanced Series Hybrid Drive System and on average have reduced fuel consumption by 43 percent when compared to conventional diesel fuel refuse vehicles.  Importantly, the vehicle owners have experienced 99% uptime with these vehicles further confirming their commercial success.

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"We are very pleased to see that the results we anticipated with these vehicles are being validated after more than a year of real life use," said Jeff Cullman, President – Hydraulics Group. "Importantly, having seen the results in these pioneering South Florida communities, many more municipalities and fleet operators have shown interest in purchasing vehicles featuring our RunWise technology."

The pre-production vehicles are being used by the City of Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, and The City of Miami, Florida.  The City of Miami has already purchased five additional Autocar E3s after operating one truck on city routes during the past year and witnessing close to 50 percent fuel savings when compared to other trucks in their fleet.   Miami-Dade County has been using six vehicles and reports that the Autocar E3 vehicles equipped with RunWise consume only 36 gallons of fuel per day compared with the other vehicles in their fleet which consume 63 gallons. Other municipalities in Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana have all placed orders for the new vehicles.

In addition to fuel savings and the associated reduction in carbon emissions, operators using these vehicles have reported very positive driving experiences and increased route productivity.

"The Hybrid is faster, more dependable, experiences less noise in the cab and has not encountered any problems," said Scotty Rodgers, an operator for the City of Miami. "The truck moves very smoothly from stop to stop allowing me to get through my route more quickly."

Parker is expanding its service network across the states. Miami hosts a service team to support these customers. The service team has helped the fleets answer any questions they might have about the system while recording and validating the performance of the trucks. Key measures include reduced fuel consumption, improved route efficiency, and reduced carbon emissions. Importantly, maintenance has been reduced on the brakes which have yet to require replacement and are anticipated to last up to eight times longer than on the conventional fleet also reducing airborne brake dust particulates.

With annual sales exceeding $12 billion in fiscal year 2011, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 58,000 people in 47 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 55 consecutive fiscal years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.parker.com, or its investor information web site at www.phstock.com.

SOURCE Parker Hannifin Corporation