Parker and Autocar Deliver Fuel Efficient, Low Emissions Refuse Vehicles Featuring RunWise® Advanced Series Hybrid Drive Technology to Florida Communities

CLEVELAND, Sept. 15  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH), the global leader in motion and control technologies, in partnership with Autocar, a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles and class 8 trucks, today delivered hybrid-powered refuse vehicles that place three South Florida municipalities among the nation's pioneers in adopting the best technology available to promote cost savings and sustainability in their communities.  The new Autocar E3 refuse vehicles feature Parker's RunWise® advanced series hybrid drive system, which dramatically increases fuel savings and lowers emissions even as it improves drivability and performance.  

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At its National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, EPA played a significant role in pioneering hydraulic hybrid technology and partnered with Parker and Autocar in the early testing of these vehicles.

"Hydraulic hybrid technology represents a breakthrough in efforts to reduce fuel use and pollution from these vehicles," said Margo T. Oge, Director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "With the benefits of this technology, we believe these trucks will play a key role in creating a cleaner environment for these communities."

"We have spent many years advancing our unique hydraulic hybrid technology and adapting it for use across a number of vehicle platforms," said Jeff Cullman, Group President, Hydraulics for Parker Hannifin. "These deliveries today, in partnership with our customer Autocar, represent the first commercial use of this technology and we commend the City of Miami, the City of Hialeah, and Miami-Dade County for the pioneering role they are playing in reducing the costs of operating their refuse collection fleet and for their efforts to go green for the benefit of their communities."

Jim Johnston, President of Autocar, commented, "Autocar is committed to producing new products that deliver where it matters – environmentally, efficiently, and economically. Our pledge to being the industry's Green Leader is demonstrated by the release of the Xpeditor E3 series. These vehicles, which utilize the RunWise advanced series hybrid drives from Parker Hannifin, offer the greatest fuel savings of any comparable product or technology, while lowering emissions, decreasing noise, and contributing to the operator's bottom line."

The RunWise® advanced series hybrid drive technology performed so well in South Florida field trials last summer that the communities of Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami chose to upgrade their refuse collection fleets and purchase a total of 11 Autocar E3 trucks with the new RunWise technology.  RunWise features proprietary software that allows for seamless shifting and smoother braking, improving drivability.  During a full month of testing in South Florida, the RunWise system registered a 42 percent reduction in fuel consumption, which is equivalent to nearly double the miles per gallon.  On an annual basis, the green technology reduces each truck's carbon footprint by more than 38 tons along routes with frequent stops. In addition, the technology extends the brake life for each truck by up to 8 times depending on the duty cycle, resulting in dramatically reduced maintenance costs.

Speaking at separate ceremonies to deliver the vehicles, public officials noted the benefits for their communities.

Mayor of Hialeah, Julio Robaina said, "I have challenged my staff to find clean energy options and reduce the City's carbon footprint. The Autocar E3 Hybrid Refuse Recycle featuring the Parker RunWise technology will play an important part in our city-wide energy efficiency plan by providing vital services to the citizens of Hialeah and protecting the environment for our future generations."

"Our partnership with Parker Hannifin makes us the first municipal solid waste agency in the United States to use this unique hybrid technology in our waste collection vehicles," said Department of Solid Waste Management Director Kathleen Woods-Richardson.  "This will allow us to do our part to help make Miami-Dade as green and environmentally friendly as possible."

In Miami, Mayor Tomas Regalado said, "The City of Miami is excited and proud to be one of the first cities in the country to receive the Autocar E3 equipped with Parker Hannifin's RunWise hydraulic hybrid technology. The addition of this eco-friendly vehicle to our fleet is another step we are taking to make Miami one of the cleanest cities in America."

With annual sales of $10 billion in fiscal year 2010, 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 55,000 people in 46 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 54 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 http://www.parker.com, or its investor information web site at http://www.phstock.com.  For additional information on the RunWise advanced series hybrid drive system visit http://parkerhybrid.parker.com

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SOURCE Parker Hannifin Corporation