Forgotten Harvest, a food rescue operation in Metro Detroit, has received a hybrid Class 7 Freightliner, donated by Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), Daimler Financial Services and Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies. The truck, the first hybrid for the organization in its fleet of 21, will allow an additional 850,000 lbs. of fresh food to be picked up on an annual basis.
The keys to the M2e diesel-electric were presented to Forgotten Harvest executive director Susan Goodell by Klaus Entenmann, president & CEO of Daimler Financial Services, and Chris Patterson, recently retired president & CEO of Daimler Trucks North America. Ron Ricci, president of Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies, presented the 20-ft. fiberglass truck body with an ElectriMax, all-electric refrigeration unit.
"This generous donation by our friends at Daimler Financial, Daimler Trucks and Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies is a leap forward in advancing our mission of reducing hunger and waste," Goodell said. "It will not only improve our operating efficiency by keeping fuel costs down, it will also allow us to direct more donated dollars to distributing food in a way that protects the environment."
The truck is a 31,000 lb., Class 7 vehicles and is the fifth to be donated by Daimler Financial Services and DTNA in the past four years. A 60 hp electric motor helps with launch and acceleration while energy is recovered during braking, restoring the battery charge.
It is estimated the vehicle will provide a 40% increase in fuel efficiency thanks to the hybrid nature as well as the refrigerated body over a traditional diesel-powered refrigeration truck.